Hamburg CDU Presents 12-Point Plan Against Antisemitism
Hamburg, September 18 – In response to a significant increase in antisemitic incidents, the Hamburg CDU on Friday unveiled a comprehensive 12-point action plan designed to combat antisemitism and bolster Jewish life within the city. The initiative also seeks to exert greater pressure on the current red-green Senate to address these pressing issues.
The concept was developed in collaboration with Stefan Hensel, the city’s former Antisemitism Commissioner. Hensel, alongside CDU parliamentary group leader Dennis Thering, called for a “change of course by the Senate” to make Jewish life in Hamburg stronger and more visible. A key demand is the implementation of the planned reconstruction of the Bornplatz Synagogue in the Grindelviertel. The CDU criticizes the lack of a binding timeline, a complete cost estimate, and a start date for the demolition of the bunker, erected by the Nazis, on the former synagogue site.
Contact with Jewish Life and Educational Reforms
The CDU’s plan also mandates that dealing with antisemitism become a compulsory component of teacher training and professional development. Furthermore, every student should have contact with Jewish life during their schooling, for example, through a visit to a synagogue. The CDU also advocates for an official city partnership between Hamburg and a city in Israel. “Antisemitism must be fought wherever it occurs. This applies to schools as well as universities, to administration, and to internal security,” Hensel stated.
Hensel emphasized that if teachers do not know how to react, if students no longer feel safe, or if authorities look away, a climate emerges in which antisemitic attacks spread. Stefan Hensel resigned as the city’s Antisemitism Commissioner at the end of 2025. According to NDR Hamburg, his voluntary work as an antisemitism advisor to the CDU now concludes with the presentation of this action plan.
CDU Criticizes Senate’s Response
With the newly presented action plan, the CDU aims to increase pressure on the red-green Senate regarding antisemitism. “The protection of Jewish life is a state duty, and Hamburg must finally become capable of action here,” Thering announced. He stressed that the red-green Senate must fully support the work of the new Antisemitism Commissioner, Anna von Villiez – organizationally, politically, and financially. “Without this backing, the position remains a fig leaf,” said the CDU parliamentary group chairman.
Thering clarified that the action plan is an offer for discussion with the SPD, Greens, and the Senate as a whole, but explicitly not with the Left Party and the AfD.
SPD and Greens Respond with Caution
The SPD and Greens pledged to carefully examine the proposals but warned against using them for partisan political posturing. “The fight against antisemitism and the protection of Jewish life are societal tasks,” said SPD parliamentary group leader Dirk Kienscherf. Therefore, it falls short to place the responsibility solely on the Senate. He added that anyone who wants to consistently fight antisemitism should also seriously consider how to deal with the AfD, as statements from this party have concerned many Jews for years.
Kienscherf urged the CDU to vote on September 30 in the Bürgerschaft, along with the SPD, Greens, and Left Party, for a federal-state working group on the constitutional review of the AfD.
Green parliamentary group leader Michael Gwosdz emphasized that involving the Antisemitism Commissioner, Anna von Villiez, is particularly important in the further process. “She holds the non-partisan office that we created in close cooperation with all democratic factions for precisely this task,” Gwosdz stated.
Background and Related Developments
The presentation of the CDU’s plan comes amidst several related developments in Hamburg. The report by the State Office for the Protection of the Constitution indicates a rise in the number of right-wing extremists in Hamburg, with 450 recorded – 50 more than in the previous year.
Anna von Villiez took office as Hamburg’s new Antisemitism Commissioner at the end of June and has since presented her goals at Hamburg City Hall. Former Antisemitism Commissioner Stefan Hensel’s collaboration with the Hamburg CDU to present an action plan against antisemitism was previously announced.
The issue of antisemitism and the protection of Jewish life remains a central topic in Hamburg’s political discourse, with ongoing debates about the most effective strategies and the role of various political actors.
Source: https://www.ndr.de/nachrichten/hamburg/hamburger-cdu-stellt-konzept-gegen-antisemitismus-vor,antisemitismus-300.html
