Foreign Minister Gideon Saar met Thursday with Katharina von Schnurbein, Germany’s commissioner for Jewish life and combating anti-Semitism, and congratulated her on taking the position. “Dr. Katharina von Schnurbein is a friend of Israel and the Jewish people who led important initiatives in her role as the European Commission’s coordinator for combating anti-Semitism,” Saar wrote on his X account, adding that he expressed his appreciation for her work in Brussels.
1+The foreign minister said the two discussed the wave of anti-Semitism sweeping Europe and the world, and what he called “the new anti-Semitism embodied in the delegitimization and demonization of Israel.” Saar emphasized that Israel sees the German official as a partner and looks forward to continued close cooperation with her in the fight against Jew-hatred.
The German government approved von Schnurbein’s appointment on October 14, and she took office on October 28. She replaced Felix Klein, who served as the first commissioner since the position was created in 2018 and retired at the end of August. Von Schnurbein previously served since December 2015 as the European Commission’s coordinator for combating anti-Semitism, and German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt called her a “proven expert” in the field when announcing her appointment.
1+During her tenure in Brussels, von Schnurbein came under attack from European Parliament members from leftist factions who demanded her removal. The demand came after the German diplomat warned during a European Union debate on sanctions against Israel that hostile policies toward the Jewish state fuel anti-Semitism on the continent. EU leadership and major Jewish organizations in Europe backed her.
Upon taking her position in Berlin, von Schnurbein told the German newspaper Rheinische Post that Germany has reached a point probably not seen since the Holocaust, and that those voicing anti-Semitic statements today no longer fear consequences. The commissioner added that anti-Zionism is the most common form of anti-Semitism, and that the extremist fringes—Islamists, the left, and the right—agree on very few things, but agree on hatred of Israel and Jews.