Minister of State for Culture Wolfram Weimer called on 6 November 2026, marking the commemoration of the November pogroms of 1938, emphasising that antisemitism and hatred must have no place in Germany. Remembering 9 November 1938 was not merely an act of looking back, but an obligation for the present and the future, the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media said in a press release.
Weimer describes the pogroms as state-organised terror, perpetrated by a regime that systematically stripped Jewish people of their rights, marginalised them and ultimately sought to exterminate them. He points out that the violence was not spontaneous, but directed and condoned—and that it also exposed the failure of a society in which many remained silent, looked away or supported the acts. It is historically documented that on the night of 9–10 November 1938, more than 1,400 across the German Reich synagogues and prayer rooms were set on fire, thousands of Jewish shops and homes were destroyed, cemeteries desecrated, and tens of thousands of Jewish men arrested and deported to concentration camps This escalation marked a turning point in Nazi persecution.
According to Weimer, this historical record entails a responsibility in the present: a culture of remembrance must be lived, education strengthened, protective measures effectively implemented, and antisemitic crimes consistently prosecuted. The statement announced no specific new legislative initiatives or financial commitments; it reaffirms the political stance of the of the Federal Government, published on the same day. They show both increased participation in the, Jewish life to make [Jewish life] a matter of course and safe in Germany, and to resolutely confront manifestations of antisemitism.
The statement forms part of the annual commemorative activities around 9 November, involving government bodies and civil society organisations across Germany. It links the historical occasion to a current appeal to public institutions, schools, cultural and memorial sites, and civil society to practise vigilance and resistance to hostility towards others on a lasting basis. Looking ahead, Weimer warns of the consequences of exclusion and indifference and calls for democratic values to be visibly defended in education, culture and public spaces.
Weimer’s remarks are clearly presented as a political assessment and are supported by the historical context and the facts cited. The German government’s press release thus places the anniversary of the November pogroms in a current context, addressing prevention, legal protection and social responsibility alike.
Editor: Phillipe Schmidt-Araguin (Article created with AI assistance).