Tova Friedman, an 87-year-old Auschwitz survivor, addressed the German parliament to urge stronger action against a resurgence of antisemitism. She recounted her deportation at age five and shared recent incidents affecting her family, warning that antisemitic chants and harassment have spread across major Western cities. The speech, delivered during a session commemorating the six million Holocaust victims, closed with sustained applause. German authorities recorded a record 6,236 antisemitic crimes in 2024, with nearly half linked to right-wing extremism.
Auschwitz Survivor Tova Friedman Pleads With German Parliament To Tackle Resurgent Antisemitism
'Don't let antisemitism grow and bloom here,' Friedman told Germany deputies (Tobias SCHWARZ)(Tobias SCHWARZ/AFP/AFP)
Tova Friedman, 87, one of the dwindling number of Holocaust survivors, addressed Germany’s parliament on Wednesday, urging lawmakers to take firmer action against a resurgence of antisemitism.
The speech, which visibly moved several MPs, recounted her deportation to the Auschwitz extermination camp at age five and the long shadow the Holocaust continues to cast. Friedman implored elected officials to "use your power to fight" rising hatred and intolerance.
Personal Testimony and a Call to Action
"Don't let antisemitism grow and bloom here," Friedman told the chamber. "I walked out of Auschwitz thinking I’ll never have to be afraid again to be Jewish—never again, but here we are."
Friedman, born near Danzig (now Gdansk, Poland) in 1938, was deported with her mother and survived Auschwitz. After the war her family emigrated to the United States, where she trained and worked as a psychotherapist.
Addressing current events, she said: "Now, 81 years later, much of the world has turned against us." She urged politicians present, including Chancellor Friedrich Merz and President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, to "become, say, a little tougher" in combating antisemitism.
Friedman offered contemporary examples of how antisemitism affects ordinary lives: her grandson reportedly hides his Star of David, and her granddaughter left her student dormitory after being harassed. She warned that public expressions of hate are appearing in major Western cities, citing chants such as "Hitler was right!" and "Gas the Jews" heard on the streets of New York, Paris, Amsterdam and London.
Context And National Concern
The address was part of a special parliamentary session commemorating the six million Jews murdered by Nazi Germany during World War II. Friedman was given several minutes of sustained applause at the session’s close.
Germany has been increasingly alarmed about rising anti-Jewish sentiment since the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel and the subsequent war in Gaza. Federal domestic intelligence agency (BfV) figures show a record 6,236 antisemitic crimes in 2024, up from 2,641 in 2022; nearly half of those incidents were attributed to right-wing extremism.
Political tensions add to the concern: the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) leads in some national polls, and some party figures have called for moving away from the country’s established "culture of remembrance" of Nazi crimes.
Friedman’s plea is both a personal testimony and a direct appeal to lawmakers: to act decisively to protect Jewish citizens, preserve memory, and confront hateful rhetoric and violence wherever it appears.
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