Jewish People in the German Far-Right: How AfD is Pandering to Jews to Gain Legitimacy

Abstract

Despite the consistent rise of anti-Semitic attacks, Jewish people from across Germany are joining the far-right Alternative für Deutschland political party in increasing numbers. In 2018 a group of nineteen Jewish AfD members formed the JAfD, the Jewish division of the party, reflecting just how much Jewish support for the AfD is growing even as national and global Jewish organizations have branded the AfD as anti-Semitic. This growth comes as a shock considering incidents like AfD politician Wolfgang Gedeon’s denial of the Holocaust and accusations that numerous AfD politicians encourage extremist behavior. This paper examines the AfD’s official policy statements to understand how Jewish-Germans can merge their political beliefs with the AfD’s German nationalist position. This paper argues that the AfD has deliberately re-structured its platform to appeal to a Jewish base, which enables party heads to challenge allegations of extremism in a bid to gain mainstream legitimacy.