Berlin Jewish community pulls Chanukah menorah from town hall after left party election surge

In recent years, the Jewish Chanukah celebration has become one of the largest annual events at Neukölln Town Hall, drawing around 250 people from across the community, including attendees of other faiths.

By Ailin Vilches Arguello, The Algemeiner

Berlin’s Jewish community is seeking to move its annual Chanukah celebration from Neukölln Town Hall, where it has been held for years, as the far-left Die Linke’s historic election victory raises fresh concerns over the city’s political climate and a worsening antisemitism crisis.

Jewish organization Hillel, which promotes Jewish life and culture, has informed outgoing District Mayor Martin Hikel that it wants to remove its Chanukah menorah from the town hall in Berlin’s southeastern district, effectively ending the community’s long-standing celebration there as the new administration takes over.

“Now that the election results are in, we would like to arrange a date to remove the Chanukah menorah from the town hall and light it publicly at a neutral location instead,” a Hillel spokesperson said in a statement.

Die Linke (The Left Party) recorded last week its strongest-ever result in a Berlin state election, finishing first with 25.7 percent of the vote and more than doubling its support from the previous election, in a stunning surge for the party in the German capital.

Germany’s governing coalition, led by the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), finished second in the capital, while the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) came in third with roughly 16 percent—its strongest-ever showing in a Berlin state election.

In an already tense and highly polarized political climate, these latest results are putting Germany’s governing parties under renewed pressure, exposing growing frustration with the country’s political establishment.

Outgoing Mayor Hikel expressed disappointment over Hillel’s decision to remove the menorah, saying the move would bring an end to the town hall’s long-standing Chanukah festivities and mark a significant change for the local Jewish community.

“The departure of our Hanukkah menorah from the town hall is deeply painful. With it, a symbol of Jewish life returning to Neukölln is also leaving the district,” he told the German newspaper BILD.

In recent years, the Jewish Chanukah celebration has become one of the largest annual events at Neukölln Town Hall, drawing around 250 people from across the community, including attendees of other faiths.

The celebration, which marks the eight-day Jewish festival of lights, has served as a prominent public expression of Jewish life in the district, featuring the lighting of the Chanukah menorah along with traditional treats such as kosher mulled wine and donuts.

As Die Linke prepares to potentially take control of the German capital, Hikel has raised concerns over the party’s record on antisemitism, saying he has “little confidence that anything will change.”

Die Linke’s victory has brought fresh scrutiny over the party’s ties to anti-Israel activists and allegations of antisemitism among its members, while fueling growing fears over what its rise could mean for the future of Berlin’s Jewish community.

Experts have repeatedly warned that Die Linke’s rise could usher in a major shift in Berlin politics, with the party’s leader, Elif Eralp—who could become the city’s first mayor of Turkish origin—drawing comparisons to New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani over her anti-capitalist agenda, anti-Israel positions, and antisemitic rhetoric.

Amid mounting accusations of antisemitism and alleged ties to criminal clans, Die Linke has taken legal action against several politicians who made such claims on social media and public forums, including German Federal Economics Minister Katherina Reiche, Schleswig-Holstein Interior Minister Magdalena Finke, and Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt.

Die Linke co-chair Luigi Pantisano has repeatedly rejected accusations against the party, dismissing claims that its members are hostile to Jewish life as scrutiny mounts following its election breakthrough.

“We stand firmly with Jewish people and are committed to protecting Jewish life in Germany, in Berlin and everywhere else,” Pantisano said during a televised interview.

“Criticism of Israel’s far-right government, which is committing genocide in Gaza, must not be conflated with antisemitic rhetoric,” he continued.

With the latest election results, Die Linke is now seeking to form a coalition with the center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) and the Greens, a three-way alliance that would have enough seats to govern Berlin. If the coalition were formed, Die Linke would lead the capital for the first time.

However, Jewish leaders have called on Germany’s center-left parties to reject any coalition that would bring the party into power, warning that the dramatic political shift could put Jewish life across the country at greater risk.

Josef Schuster, president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, voiced strong opposition to such an alliance, expressing deep concern over what he described as the party’s long history of antisemitic transgressions.

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