Anti-Semitism remains at a high level "More and more Jews are thinking about leaving Switzerland"

How safe can Jews feel in Switzerland? This is shown in the anti-Semitism report published today. Jonathan Kreutner from the Swiss Federation of Jewish Communities explains why the hatred is growing - and why he still thinks it's wrong to hide.

Mr Kreutner, during the funeral service for my father in October 2024, I discovered a swastika carved on a bench in the Kurzdorf Protestant church in Frauenfeld TG. It affected me deeply - especially as the same Nazi symbol had already been seen in exactly the same place a year and a half earlier at my mother's funeral. What goes through your mind when you hear something like that?

It shocks me that someone would carve a swastika into the pew of a place of worship. This symbol is inextricably linked to the suffering, pain and death of millions of people during the Second World War; it stands for a regime that murdered millions - including six million Jews. The declared aim of this dictatorship was to systematically wipe out Jewish life in Europe.

The Federal Council wants to ban Nazi symbols in public in future.

Switzerland stands apart when Nazi symbols - unlike in many other countries - are still permitted and not punishable by law. For years, politicians justified this with the alleged complexity of a ban. It was not until the emergence of Nazi comparisons and narratives during the coronavirus pandemic that politicians finally began to actively tackle the problem.

According to the Anti-Semitism Report 2025 published today by the Foundation against Racism and Anti-Semitism GRA and the Swiss Federation of Jewish Communities SIG, anti-Semitic incidents in Switzerland fell from 221 to 177 in the real world last year. Not really good news despite the decline, is it?

It is a sad fact that anti-Semitic incidents in Switzerland have risen to a significantly higher level since October 2023. Four years ago, such a number of 177 cases would have amounted to a veritable explosion in the real world - back then, we only registered a third as many incidents per year. The war in the Middle East acts as a dominant trigger for antisemitic incidents in Switzerland, and there is currently no sign of a return to the level prior to October 7, 2023, i.e. the terrorist act by Hamas.

In the online area, the number of incidents rose to 2185 - an increase of 37%.

The majority of online incidents were registered on Telegram. Moreover, hate comments are still rarely deleted on this platform, and Telegram is a major problem in this respect. We therefore very much welcome the fact that a new law on communication platforms and search engines is currently being consulted on, even if it does have some loopholes.

The anti-Semitism report talks about a permanent burden for the Jewish community in Switzerland. How does this manifest itself in everyday life?

We have noticed that Jews are increasingly withdrawing from public life. This became clear after the terrorist attack last December on a Festival of Lights celebration in Sydney, Australia, in which the perpetrators attacked an event on Bondi Beach and shot 16 people dead. On the same day, a festival of lights was held by a Jewish community in Zurich - half of the registered guests stayed away from the event.

Have you ever experienced hatred in Switzerland because of your Jewish religion - or felt unsafe on the street?

In my role as SIG Secretary General, I'm already a kind of bruiser. We receive hate mail at our office all the time, and I sometimes get the worst abuse on the phone.

Have you already been threatened personally?

Yes, a few months ago I received a threatening letter in my private letterbox - all the more frightening as this address is not publicly known. The growing anti-Semitism was one of the reasons why I accepted the professional challenge at the SIG 17 years ago - because I was already exposed to anti-Semitic incidents during my youth.

Can you describe a specific case?

Fortunately, I never experienced direct violence, but I was repeatedly the target of anti-Semitic remarks. I attended a public school - I will never forget one experience from the 3rd grade: Before gym class, I apparently didn't tie my shoes fast enough, whereupon my teacher said to me: "Stop tying your shoes in your Jewish way."

On 2 February 2026, a man who was recognized as Jewish Orthodox was attacked and beaten on the sidewalk in Zurich. What went through your mind when you heard about this act of violence?

Violence is always bad, for the victim, their family and also for the entire community. We at SIG are always extremely careful when assessing such acts. In this case, it quickly became clear that it was an act motivated by anti-Semitism. For me, this inevitably triggered memories of March 2, 2024: Back then, an Orthodox Jewish man was brutally attacked in Zurich - with the sole aim of killing him. The victim was critically injured and still suffers from the physical and psychological consequences of this attack to this day. This act of violence is one of the most serious anti-Semitic incidents in Europe in recent years - something that Switzerland had never experienced in this form before.

The SIG press release on the attack on February 2, 2026 states: "The attack was not a random act, but was specifically directed against a Jewish person." Are Jews in Switzerland in danger?

The threat has always been present, which is why we were already committed to stepping up security measures at Jewish institutions ten years ago.

In 2020, you said on the SRF news program "10 to 10":"Words can become deeds."

I was unfortunately right with my statement - but I could never have imagined in my worst dreams that it would become reality so quickly. For far too long I thought that people had learned from the past - that they knew where anti-Semitism can lead.

Did the Swiss authorities not take your warning seriously enough?

We were taken seriously and the security measures we demanded around Jewish institutions in Switzerland have also been implemented. Individuals, on the other hand, are difficult to protect. Unfortunately, however, it is becoming increasingly clear that anyone who is recognizable as Jewish in Switzerland must now expect to be insulted or attacked more often.

There are Jews in Switzerland who currently prefer not to speak publicly about anti-Semitism because they are afraid of threats and attacks.

I can understand that. While some Jews avoid certain situations and places, others don't let the tense situation get them down. It becomes particularly sad when Jewish life is pushed out of the public eye.

In the documentary film "Antisemitism - Hatred of Jews in Switzerland", which was shown on Swiss television in May 2025, you say: "You can't hide, that's very important."

If we start to hide and no longer live our everyday lives as we are used to - if we no longer attend Jewish schools or no longer go to synagogue on public holidays because we are afraid - then the very people who want to harm us Jews will have achieved their goal. I would find that very sad, and it would be an indictment of society in Switzerland.

What is the SIG doing to combat tendencies that threaten Jewish life?

It is our task as an umbrella organization to take the fears and security concerns of Jews in Switzerland seriously. It is important to carefully weigh up the different interests and needs and to fight in every case to ensure that Jewish life in Switzerland has a secure future.

And how do you do this in concrete terms?

We work on several levels: One key area is cooperation with the federal government, cantons and police to ensure the security of Jewish institutions. At the same time, we contribute our perspective to political processes, such as the national strategy against racism and anti-Semitism or the ban on Nazi symbols. And we focus strongly on prevention and education - for example through educational programs and the anti-Semitism report, which makes developments visible and creates a basis for measures.

The SRF documentary "Anti-Semitism - Hatred of Jews in Switzerland":

Would you like to see more solidarity for the Jewish community?

Immediately after October 7, 2023, the terrorist act by Hamas, the Jewish community worldwide experienced incredible solidarity - something I would not have expected. Shortly afterwards, a wave of anti-Semitism swept over us - even before Israel responded militarily to the Hamas terror. The absurd thing is that the biggest trigger for anti-Semitism since the Second World War was an attack in which Jewish people were massacred. This shows in a shocking way how profound the threat to Jewish life still is, even decades after the Holocaust.

It is part of democratic freedom of expression in Switzerland that governments, politicians and authorities can be criticized. When does criticism of Israel's policies become anti-Semitic?

Criticism becomes anti-Semitic when the right of the Jewish state to exist is called into question or when clichés are used that have a clear anti-Jewish tradition - for example, when it is claimed that Israel is striving for world domination or that Israel is only interested in power and money. It is also anti-Semitic when Holocaust comparisons are made. Such comparisons trivialize the Holocaust and serve to delegitimize Israel in the most provocative and simplistic way possible. Unfortunately, it is now a fact that more and more people in Switzerland are showing no shame in trivializing the Holocaust - something that was completely unthinkable just a few years ago.

Critics of Israel's warfare say they want to stand up for the people of Gaza who are suffering. Do you regret that it seems to be becoming difficult to debate the Middle East conflict?

The Middle East conflict is highly complex. Anyone who does not recognize this has a serious problem. However, anyone who understands that this complexity is real and that the debate in this country has a direct impact on Jewish people in Switzerland is taking an important first step.

Criticism and commitment are ...

... legitimate, of course: it becomes problematic when it turns into an obsession that is no longer about Gaza or the Palestinian population, but about hatred of Israel and ultimately also of Jewish people. Unfortunately, we have to realize that Jewish people are increasingly becoming collateral damage, while the will to protect them from the consequences of such debates is increasingly waning.

Where do you currently see the greatest danger for the Jewish community in Switzerland?

The greatest danger is that anti-Semitism is gradually becoming normalized - that it can be taken less and less seriously, accepted by society or used as a political justification. As a result, Jewish people in Switzerland feel increasingly repressed and misunderstood.

Do you have a specific example of this?

My nine-year-old daughter attends a Jewish school. The name of the school is written in Hebrew on her sweater. She no longer dares to wear it on the street. Another boy recently told me that he no longer speaks Hebrew to his grandmother on the street out of fear. These two examples show how deep the insecurity has already gone.

You have been working at SIG for 17 years. When you look back to the early days: How has the situation changed since then?

The reality back then was completely different - even one nasty email every few weeks shocked me back then. Today, unfortunately, this has become part of everyday life. But one thing is clear to me: we as an association will continue to work with all our strength to maintain Jewish life in Switzerland. Because if that were no longer possible, it would not only be a problem for the Jewish community, but we would all have to ask ourselves: what does that say about the state of society in Switzerland?

Sigmount Königsberg, anti-Semitism officer of the Jewish community in Berlin, said in an interview with the Tagesspiegel in 2022 :"Until the 1980s, most Jews were literally sitting on packed suitcases. Then they started to settle here, to integrate into society. They kept unpacking their suitcases. In the last 10 or 15 years, I've noticed that people are thinking: "Where's the suitcase?"

We feel that here too: More and more Jews in Switzerland are thinking about leaving the country. It's not that all of them are actually taking this step - but the fact that they are even thinking about it shows how deep the insecurity is. When they then ask themselves where to go, for many the only option is Israel - despite the risks and challenges there.

It seems as if it is part of the Jewish self-image to always be prepared for all trials.

We Jews know that we can always come up against rejection or even threats. This is nothing new for any of us. Each and every one of us has family stories that are characterized by flight, loss and uncertainty. No one is exempt from this. This reality shapes who we are and at the same time makes it clear how important it is to protect and strengthen Jewish life in Switzerland.

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