Auschwitz Survivor Adds to Warnings About AfD's Win

Eva Umlauf survived Auschwitz as a toddler. Eight decades later, she says she's stunned by what she's seeing in Germany. The 82-year-old doctor and psychotherapist, who heads the International Auschwitz Committee, says she is "appalled" that the hard-right Alternative for Germany has emerged from elections in Saxony-Anhalt within striking distance of governing a German state, Reuters reports. Minority groups and Jewish leaders share her worry, accusing AfD of minimizing the Nazi era and providing a home for extremists, a charge the party rejects.

The American Jewish Committee writes that "Antisemitism is embedded in parts of the party's rhetoric, ideology, and political culture." Ron Prosor, Israel's ambassador to Germany, told Israeli Army Radio on Tuesday, per the Washington Post: "When you see what they say and do, it's a wake-up call for anyone who holds Jewish life in Germany dear. This is not a symbolic victory; this is a party aiming to rule Germany." AfD, classified as right-wing extremist by Saxony-Anhalt's domestic intelligence office, wants tighter immigration rules, a shift in school history away from the Nazi period, and warmer ties with Russia. Umlauf hopes the party's rise instead energizes what she calls the other 70% of Germans.