Schimon Stein, the former Israeli ambassador to Germany, maintains that the political “firewall” designed to counter the AfD (Alternative for Germany) has failed. Speaking to Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland, he stated that since approximately 30 percent of people are willing to vote for the AfD, the Jewish community cannot afford to refuse engaging with them.
While acknowledging that the AfD sometimes expresses pro-Israel declarations, Stein cautioned against being misled by these statements. The former diplomat emphasized that the AfD’s support for Israel does not diminish its danger to Jews; if the party rejects Muslims, Jews cannot feel safe either. Despite this, he considers the firewall to have failed, adding that ideas cannot simply be expelled from people’s minds.
Stein called for a direct confrontation with the core concepts of the AfD, arguing that society must engage with them and persuade the public of the hazards the party poses to a liberal democratic society. He stressed that this call for debate also applies to the Jewish community, recognizing its role as an integral part of German society.
In a broader context, Stein described the current level of antisemitism as a “seismograph for the state of a society.” He lamented that Germany is undergoing a profound crisis, marked by fear, uncertainty, and political polarization. He noted that as people look for scapegoats for their problems, Jews have historically carried that role since antiquity. Still residing in Berlin, Stein warned that appreciation for democracy has become “almost just a lip service.” He believes the willingness to actively defend democracy is too low, comparing it to a plant that needs daily watering-a task, he said, that the populace is failing to fulfill.
