Germany has, in the name of fighting antisemitism, embraced a strange philosemitism and proxy Israeli nationalism, which involves demonizing and suppressing expressions of Palestinian identity and anti-Zionism in the guise of Holocaust remembrance. Consequently, leftist Jews often find themselves being lectured to about antisemitism by the descendants of people who murdered Jews.

Meanwhile, far-right politics are ascendant, with the Alternative for Germany party, or AfD, making terrifying gains in the polls fueled by an anti-migrant politics that’s increasingly echoed across the political spectrum. Indeed, even as most antisemitic incidents are committed by members of the far right, the German political establishment has joined it in scapegoating Arab and Muslim migrants for antisemitism.

In an interview for Jacobin Radio’s the Dig podcast this January, Daniel Denvir talked with Emily Dische-Becker about the complex issues surrounding Germany’s approach to combating antisemitism. The wide-ranging discussion explores the implications of these efforts for Palestinian identity and anti-Zionism as well as the rise of far-right politics and its impact on antisemitic sentiments and migrant scapegoating in the German political landscape. You can listen to the episode here.