Germany becomes destination of choice for Jews leaving Israel • FRANCE 24 English

Added: 2026-05-22

[00:00:15][screaming] >> Yehuda Teichtal is originally from New York. He's led Berlin's Shabbat community for more than 20 years.

[00:00:23]His mission to revive Jewish life in Germany.

[00:00:28]Like him, Jews from all over the world are choosing to settle here permanently.

[00:00:33]Even applying for German citizenship.

[00:00:36]Like Rabbi Gewirtz, his grandparents were originally from Germany. Holocaust survivors.

[00:00:43]Being able to speak the language, to have a German passport, and to continue living here as a Jew, for me that's a win.

[00:00:51]It's even something I'm proud of.

[00:00:55]People see that the community is growing in Germany and despite the challenges and problems, there are also many positive aspects. That's one of the reasons why they see a future in this country.

[00:01:05]This return to Germany is made easier by a law dating from 1949.

[00:01:10]Descendants of victims of Nazism can obtain German citizenship without giving up their original passport. Eliyahu Refoua arrived in Berlin in 2020. He obtained dual nationality two years ago.

[00:01:25]Today, he helps other descendants of German Jewish families to do the same.

[00:01:30]But for his clients, the process often begins with a very pragmatic calculation. They they want it in an uncertain world. They want flexibility.

[00:01:41]They want options. They want to move.

[00:01:44]Um extra citizenship it seems like a promise.

[00:01:49]And yeah, the fact that people are asking for German citizenship, I believe has to do with the fact that people people people has trust in Germany. Ali works closely with a lawyer specializing in immigration law. In her office, asylum applications from Jewish foreigners have multiplied, especially since October the 7th, 2023.

[00:02:11]>> [clears throat] >> October 7th triggered another significant increase in applications, but other factors are also at play.

[00:02:17]Brexit, for example, for British citizens and for the United States, we've already received sporadic requests from clients who say the situation with Trump seems too uncertain.

[00:02:29]From precisely because of the experience of our ancestors, it's good to have a sort of second option.

[00:02:37]After October the 7th, anti-Semitic acts jumped by more than 80% in 1 year, a rise attributable to the far right and tensions born of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

[00:02:50]Marina Chechinivsky witnesses the rise of anti-Jewish hatred in the country on a daily basis.

[00:02:55]She heads the first hotline specializing in violence and discrimination against Jews in Germany.

[00:03:03]The Hebrew language, for example, has become a marker of political identity.

[00:03:11]It's perfectly natural for people to speak their mother language in the street, but it has become a risk.

[00:03:21]Many parents wonder if they can still speak Hebrew with their children in taxis, or if they can address them in Hebrew on the street.

[00:03:31]But in a country where the far right AfD party has established itself as the second largest political force, some Israelis also see naturalization as a form of activism.

[00:03:45]Dekel Peretz is an historian. He's leading the project to rebuild the Jewish community center in Kreuzberg on the very site of a synagogue destroyed by the Nazis.

[00:03:58]The main hall was burned down in 1938 during Kristallnacht, but the side wings were saved.

[00:04:08]Dekel is not eligible for reparation laws because he has no German roots, but he has spent the last 20 years of his life in Berlin and has just submitted the application for naturalization.

[00:04:22]Anti-Semitism has increased. Anti-Muslim racism has increased.

[00:04:27]The atmosphere in Germany has become bitter and polarized.

[00:04:32]But if I internalize this discrimination as I have done until now and say, "No, I am not German." then I also give in to right-wing radicals.

[00:04:42]That's why I say today with complete confidence, "I am German, even though I do not yet have citizenship."

[00:04:50]In the heart of the former Nazi capital and despite the rise of anti-Semitism, more and more people are choosing Berlin.

[00:04:58]In 2024, more than 4,000 Israelis obtained German citizenship compared to only about 1,000 in 2019.