Left and anti-Semitism: “The debate has the function of weakening the left”

taz: Mr. Ullrich, Israel's ambassador Ron Prosor speaks after the Left's election victory of an "immediate threat to the existence" for the Jewish community in Berlin, of "completely uninhibited anti-Semitism that has broken out in this party." How seriously should you take this?

Peter Ullrich: I think it's so over-the-top now that you can only rub your eyes at what's happening. We are witnessing a crazy debate that is losing all touch with reality. The intensity with which the left is now being driven forward with accusations of anti-Semitism gives us a deep insight.

50, Professor of Sociology at the HWR Berlin and Fellow at the Center for Anti-Semitism Research at the TU Berlin, deals with social movements, police and the debates about anti-Semitism and the Israel-Palestine conflict; Co-editor of "What is anti-Semitism? Terms and definitions of anti-Semitism" (Göttingen: Wallstein, 2024).

Ullrich: It is clear that this debate has the very specific function of weakening the left in order to put pressure on it and on the SPD and the Greens not to form a coalition with it or to weaken other issues of the left in coalition negotiations. The accusation of anti-Semitism is clearly being used strategically. But this isn't just strategic; Many people believe that too if it is repeated often enough. To me this seems like a collective delusion that confirms itself. If it is claimed that the election of the left will make Berlin unsafe for Jews, there is no empirical support whatsoever.

taz: Leftists are portrayed as the greatest danger to Jews.

Ullrich: The party's clear decision-making and the clear positioning of its leadership - as well as its practice - speak against this. Many left-wing Jews are involved in the party. People now act as if the left is the real hotbed of anti-Semitism. Population surveys show that anti-Semitism is much more widespread on the right and decreases towards the left of the spectrum. The debate is an attempt to reverse this empirical finding via the detour of Israel-related anti-Semitism. In the last few days, however, this detour, the accusation of “hatred of Israel”, has not even been taken. Instead, it is claimed that the Left is an anti-Semitic party. This is of course very comfortable for others.

taz: And isn't there still justified criticism of parts of the Left Party?

Ullrich: Anti-Semitism is structurally deeply anchored in our society. Even leftists, inside and outside the party, are not exempt from this; This is shown by various studies on the past and present of anti-Semitism from the left. But we cannot discuss this in a differentiated way at the moment because the hegemonic discourse, driven by the right, is currently staging a reinterpretation of Orwellian proportions. The aim is to distract from anti-Semitism in majority society, which is outsourced to migrants and leftists - and of course from the horror in Gaza and the West Bank, which the raison d'état makes it impossible to recognize.

Ullrich: No, not at all. The Left Party is constantly struggling to find a position on the Israel-Palestine conflict and anti-Semitism here. This is where completely contradictory worldviews collide: some are based on the suffering of the Palestinians, others on anti-Semitism in this country. There should be a lot of talk about the resulting tensions, but no one does that anymore. One thing is clear: Some statements or incidents, particularly those scandalized by the Left Neukölln, do not fit with the party's decision-making, are sometimes strategically unwise and, in my opinion, politically wrong. The PFLP, whose representative repeatedly appears in this context, is by no means a progressive actor. She took part in the October 7th massacre. Or the slogan “Death to the IDF”: This contradicts the peace policy orientation, in which there is no place for such calls for violence.

Ullrich: One should first understand such positioning in terms of concern and personal connections and political solidarity with the Palestinians. Hatred in the Israel-Palestine conflict has its roots primarily in the real conflict, in experiences of suffering and decades of violence. But you can't see that if these slogans are only discussed in the form of a completely exaggerated anti-Semitism debate. Palestinians and their supporters are therefore measured in Germany by a moral standard that is not applied to others. Otherwise all contacts with the Israeli government would have to be broken off immediately. This is a double standard that extremely alienates many people.

Ullrich: This experience, including those with police violence, with stigmatizing media reports and the many bans, means that the ranks in the Palestinian solidarity movement are firmly closed. Self-criticism is then not valued very much, but is quickly seen as a lack of solidarity.

The Israel-Palestine conflict is discussed controversially, especially in left-wing circles. There are also some fundamentally different positions on this in the taz. In this section you will find all comments and debate contributions on the topic of the Middle East.

taz: The potential coalition partners the Greens and SPD are now demanding consequences on the left. Which could those be?

Ullrich: The left should aggressively defend its own position, which condemns anti-Semitism just as clearly as Israeli crimes. A way must be found to maintain a clear position on Gaza without the legitimate interests of the Israeli population being neglected. But that also means: If the party invites guests to its events, you should see what slogans you want there. But above all, the left should not allow itself to be driven by the media debate. If she goes into this with apologies, she can only lose.

taz: Are the other parties above the accusation of anti-Semitism?

Ullrich: Of course not. Why is it not a scandal when Friedrich Merz declares anti-Semitism to be the worst form of xenophobia? This is a classic anti-Semitic trope, declaring Jews to be something alien. Even if the statement may have been just stupidity: if a leftist had said that, he would have had to grovel. And the CDU is also getting away with the funding scandal, in which millions of euros were embezzled in order to pursue symbolic politics instead of doing something about anti-Semitism. We don't even need to talk about the Vogelschiss AfD, which presents itself as a champion of anti-anti-Semitism.