Pro-Israel demonstrators gathered at Bebelplatz in central Berlin on Nov. 30, 2025, before marching toward the Brandenburg Gate. Participants held Israeli flags and signs condemning rising antisemitism in Germany. Photo: Michael Kuenne/PRESSCOV/Sipa USA via Reuters Connect

Amid a tense political climate and rising antisemitism across Germany, Jewish communities are finding new ways to stand firm, strengthen their presence, and turn growing uncertainty into an opportunity to spread hope and resilience.

In an exclusive interview with German news channel WELT, the chief rabbi of Berlin’s Chabad community called for a bold response to antisemitism that goes beyond heightened security, urging a fundamental shift in mindset that confronts hatred with greater Jewish visibility, active engagement, and the power of spreading good.

“Our strength and power lie in standing up and declaring that wherever there is darkness, we will bring light,” Yehuda Teichtal said during his appearance. “Will we solve all the world’s problems in a single day? No. But step by step, piece by piece, we can push back the darkness through light, hope, and meaningful action.”

Chabad is a Hasidic movement within Orthodox Judaism that operates around the world

Teichtal also stressed in his remarks that confronting antisemitism is a long-term effort that depends on persistence, explaining that seemingly small, everyday acts of courage and kindness can gradually build into broader societal change.

“Wherever hatred exists, we will be there to bring love,” he said.

Teichtal’s message, which went viral and drew thousands of views, comes amid growing fears that Germany’s shifting political landscape could further threaten Jewish life, exacerbating an already hostile and violent social climate, as the far-left Die Linke gains ground in Berlin and the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) strengthens its position in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.

Die Linke (the Left Party) recorded its strongest-ever result in a Berlin state election last month, finishing first with 25.7 percent of the vote and more than doubling its support from the previous election.

With the election results opening the door to coalition talks, Die Linke is now seeking to form a government with the center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) and the Greens, a three-way alliance that would have enough seats to govern Berlin. If the coalition is formed, Die Linke would lead the German capital for the first time.

However, the party’s path to power has become increasingly uncertain as a bitter internal dispute over antisemitism exposes deep divisions within its leadership.

Earlier this month, the Greens and SPD suspended exploratory talks on forming Berlin’s next state government with Die Linke to assess whether measures from a deal agreed to between the three to combat antisemitism still stand.

Prominent political figures and Jewish leaders had previously called on the country’s center-left parties to reject any coalition that would bring the party into power, warning that the dramatic political shift could put Jewish life across the country at greater risk — amid mounting accusations that the party and its leaders have repeatedly promoted antisemitic and anti-Israel rhetoric and policies.

In an interview with the German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Josef Schuster, president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, expressed renewed doubts about Die Linke’s commitment to confronting antisemitism, questioning whether the party’s stated opposition to hatred against Jews could be trusted.

“I don’t believe they have genuinely rejected antisemitism,” Schuster said.

He also voiced concerns over the upcoming government formation in Saxony-Anhalt, warning that a state government led by the far-right AfD would leave Jewish life in the region “being permanently endangered.”

“The AfD’s election manifesto makes clear that a government led by the party would pose a serious threat to all religious communities, including the churches, as state funding would be drastically reduced,” Schuster said.

In a major gain for the right, the AfD won 38.2 percent of the vote last month in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania in northeastern Germany, reinforcing its strong electoral presence across the country’s eastern states.

The AfD — which Germany’s domestic intelligence service classifies as a right-wing extremist group — had also recorded its strongest-ever regional result in the eastern German state of Saxony-Anhalt.

With its historic victory, the party fell narrowly short of the majority required to establish the country’s first far-right state government since World War II.