German Ruling Party Investigated Over Millions in Antisemitism Funds

Germany’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) is facing a parliamentary investigation in Berlin over the allocation of millions of euros intended to combat antisemitism, after questions emerged about whether the funds were properly vetted and monitored.

A committee in the Berlin House of Representatives is examining how roughly 2.6 million euros (about $3 million) in public funds were distributed to organizations tasked with fighting antisemitism following October 7. The inquiry was initiated by opposition parties and will determine whether the grants were awarded using unclear criteria or influenced by political connections.

One of the most scrutinized grants involved 390,000 euros (about $450,000) awarded to the Zera Institute, a group founded in December 2024 by Iranian-German music producer Maral Salmassi. Salmassi has been accused of posting antisemitic rhetoric online, including a February 2025 message on X in which she wrote that Jewish billionaire George Soros “is and always has been a parasite.” After the comment resurfaced in media reports, Salmassi deleted the post and expressed regret.

The controversy prompted Berlin’s antisemitism commissioner, Sigmount Königsberg, to resign from the Zera Institute’s expert council after the comment became public. Salmassi has also referred to philosopher Omri Boehm, journalist Peter Beinart, and scholars Amos Goldberg and Raz Segal, critics of Israeli government policy, as “token Jews.”

Daniel Eliasson, a local Green Party politician, condemned the remark as a “clearly antisemitic statement.” He told a local newspaper, “As a Jew, I find it nothing short of a mockery that the Berlin CDU is providing this person with 390,000 euros to fight antisemitism.”

The parliamentary committee is also examining how the grants were approved inside Berlin’s Department for Culture and Social Cohesion, which oversaw the distribution of the funds. Staff members from the department testified at a hearing last week. One witness said that “the expertise and the resources were lacking” to manage the large pool of funding that became available after Oct. 7.

Media reports have raised questions about other grant recipients as well. According to Stern magazine, several funded organizations had ties to CDU members or were recently established groups with little verifiable experience in combating antisemitism. Among the recipients were a real estate company and other organizations with limited track records in the field.

Questions have also been raised about transparency in how the money was used. When the newspaper Der Tagesspiegel contacted 12 organizations that received grants for projects during the 2025 fiscal year, only three responded with information about their activities. Those projects included an exhibition about the Nova music festival targeted during the Hamas attacks, cultural events aimed at combating antisemitism in the music scene, and support programs for Israeli artists in Berlin.

Some experts have expressed skepticism about whether the funds will achieve their intended purpose. Uffa Jensen, deputy director of the Center for Research on Antisemitism at the Berlin Institute of Technology, said he doubts the current projects will be effective.

“Based on the selection of the funded projects, I have doubts as to whether it is effective or whether it will achieve the goals that the funds were intended to pursue,” Jensen said.

The parliamentary investigation is expected to continue with additional hearings as lawmakers review how the grants were awarded and whether rules governing public funding were properly followed.