Chancellor Angela Merkel lamented that 75 years after Kristallnacht, the anti-Jewish pogroms in Germany, Jewish institutions in the country still need police protection.
In her weekly podcast on Saturday, Merkel described the events of November 9, 1938 -- also known as 'The Night of Broken Glass' -- as "one of the darkest moments in German history" and urged Germans to be vigilant to the dangers of anti-Semitism.
‘’It is almost inexplicable but also the reality that no Jewish institution can be left without police protection," she said.
"This is a situation beyond explanation, yet it is also the reality on the ground… at the gates of kindergartens, schools and Jewish institutions German policemen must stand guard to protect them."
She called on "all the people in this country to show their civil courage and ensure that no form of anti-Semitism is tolerated."
But she also noted there was now a thriving Jewish community in Germany, with an influx from the former Soviet Union.
On November 9, 1938, Nazi thugs plundered Jewish businesses throughout Germany, torched some 300 synagogues and rounded up about 30,000 Jewish men for deportation to concentration camps.
Some 90 Jews were killed in the orgy of violence.
In 1933, when Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler came to power, there were around 560,000 Jews living in Germany. By 1950, their number had dropped to 15,000.
Today, there are some 200,000 Jews, according to the Central Council of Jews in Germany.
Results of a survey conducted by an EU human rights agency in nine European Union countries –including Germany - among Jewish people’s experiences and perceptions show that three-quarters of respondents feel that anti-Semitism has got worse in the past five years particularly as concerns anti-Semitic comments and hate speech online.
The German Chancellor also touched on the difference between anti-Semitism and anti-Israeli sentiment, saying that "it is acceptable to criticize Israel's politics… even among the residents of the state of Israel there are different political opinions, it is acceptable to make them heard, but I oppose generalizations and the possibility of anti-Semitic and anti-Zionist opinions" in the guise of criticism of Israeli politics."
She added that "Germany is committed to Israel's security." "We want a state of Israel that lives in peace with its neighbors," she said, "that's why we're calling for a two-state solution and are hoping for progress in the peace process. I have had many talks on the matter with Prime Minister Netanyahu, as well as with Palestinian President Abbas."