A 101-year-old Holocaust survivor, Walter Bingham, has issued a stark warning that the current resurgence of antisemitism is mirroring the conditions of Nazi Germany in 1938. Bingham, who was just 14 years old at the time of the November 1938 Kristallnacht pogroms, described the present climate as a dangerous echo of the past. During Kristallnacht, Nazis and their sympathizers unleashed terror on Jewish communities, burning over 1,400 synagogues and vandalizing thousands of Jewish-owned businesses. More than 26,000 Jewish men were arrested and sent to concentration camps on that night.
Reflecting on today’s situation, Bingham told The Associated Press that antisemitism has reached alarming levels, with incidents such as a deadly attack on a synagogue in Manchester during Yom Kippur and another in Melbourne, Australia, being condemned as antisemitic. He pointed out that the Anti-Defamation League reported 9,354 antisemitic incidents in the United States in 2024, a 5% increase from the previous year and a 344% rise over the past five years. Despite the growing hostility, Bingham expressed hope that the existence of Israel has changed the historical landscape. He explained that while antisemitism is on the rise, the strength of the state of Israel acts as a deterrent against a Holocaust today, as it would ensure a swift and decisive response to such threats.