Germany and October 7th

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Post-war German society has earned a lot of admiration from around the world for its process of "collective atonement." There have been ups and downs, but Germany's general willingness to confront the crimes it committed during the Third Reich through study, acknowledgement, and prosecutions that continue to this day has often been held up as a model for other countries to follow. A cornerstone of this process has been Germany's support of Jewish culture in Germany as well as extensive cultural, economic, and foreign policy ties with Israel. But since October 7th a number of high profile incidents in Germany have seen critics of Israel's actions in Gaza or apologists for the Palestinian cause criticized or censored for their views, causing Germany's philosemitism to come under increasing scrutiny. This presentation will examine how the war in Gaza has divided German society and rattled the country’s understanding of itself.