Rising Demand for German Citizenship Among Israeli and American Jews
On May 8, 1945, the German Wehrmacht unconditionally surrendered, marking the end of World War II in Europe and the end of Nazi terror. After 81 years, a paradoxical trend is emerging: more and more descendants of Holocaust survivors are applying for German citizenship. Jews from Israel, the USA, and around the world are increasingly interested. While many had applied before, the motives shifted after the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, although bureaucratic hurdles remain.
Eliahu Raful, a 37-year-old Israeli from Bnei Brak, moved to Berlin in October 2020 and founded the organization Hafetz Chaim, which assists descendants of Jews persecuted by the Nazis in filing their applications. Bureaucratic obstacles persist.
Significant Growth in Applications
According to the Federal Ministry of the Interior, 2,485 Israeli citizens were naturalized in Germany in 2021, and this number rose to 4,275 in 2024. In Berlin, the number of naturalizations of Israeli citizens in 2024 reached 202 cases, approximately three times higher than a few years earlier.
Two legal grounds support this growth: Article 116, Paragraph 2 of the Basic Law, which allows naturalization for descendants of those who were stripped of German citizenship between 1933 and 1945, and Article 15 of the Citizenship Act, which has been in effect since 2021, covering victims of persecution.
The Gap Between Rights and Reality
Eliahu Raful knows firsthand the difficulties of obtaining citizenship. When he applied in Berlin in 2020, he was denied due to a lack of German language skills, even though language certificates are not required for descendants of Holocaust victims. Only after moving to Dresden did his case begin to progress, and in August 2023, he received his German passport.
Today, he runs the company "Hafetz Chaim - Citizenship Restoration Services", which assists with documentation and historical research. Berlin has become a place for him to rethink Jewish life.
Changes After October 7
After the October 7, 2023 attack, Raful's clientele changed dramatically. Previously, he mainly served secular, mobile Israelis. Since October 7, this trend has expanded to include groups he never expected, such as clients from the ultra-Orthodox Mea Shearim neighborhood in Jerusalem. In times of uncertainty, people become less ideological and more practical.
The Federal Ministry of the Interior confirms this impression: the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, and subsequent events in the Middle East have contributed to an increase in applications, a spokesperson stated.
Raful also notes a generational shift. For older generations, the memory of the Holocaust remains relevant. For younger applicants, Germany is viewed not through direct memories but through the lens of future security and belonging. "Having lived in various cultural and religious worlds, I understand that finding a sense of belonging is rarely easy. For many applicants, citizenship is not just a document but a way to achieve stability and perhaps a future."
Felix Klein, the federal government's commissioner for Jewish life and combating anti-Semitism, sees this as an important signal: "I consider it a huge vote of confidence that Jews from Israel and the USA can envision life and a future in Germany, a former country of perpetrators." With Article 116, Paragraph 2 of the Basic Law, the founders of the Basic Law created a clear legal basis for this - "and I am very pleased about that," Klein said.
Trust Instead of Forgiveness?
What drives people to seek stability in the very country their families once fled? Raful carefully chooses his words: "I would not describe the symbolic significance in terms of forgiveness. In my view, it is more about trust: faith that modern Germany has learned something important from its history and that its legal and democratic frameworks can provide safety and a future."
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Klein also warns: "I am deeply moved by the fact that descendants of Holocaust survivors seek protection in Germany." However, the trust of Jews in the German state is "not a given; it must be earned anew every day." Klein identifies three prerequisites: consistent protection of Jewish and Israeli institutions, decisive prosecution of anti-Semitic acts, and a society that does not relativize anti-Semitism - "regardless of whether it comes from the right, the left, Islamists, or under the guise of supposed criticism of Israel."
Lack of Transparency as a Real Issue
According to Raful, the real obstacle for authorities is not the search for historical documents - in many cases, evidence can be obtained from archives. Rather, it is the lack of transparency in the application process.
The Federal Office for Administration emphasizes that each application is reviewed individually, which is certainly necessary, Raful says. However, from the perspective of someone handling numerous cases, the process is often difficult to understand. The real problem lies not so much in the waiting time itself but in the unpredictability. "I have cases that I submitted almost three years ago and have heard nothing about. At the same time, I receive inquiries about cases I submitted only a year ago."
As of April 1, 2026, the Federal Ministry of the Interior reported that 17,689 applications under Article 116, Paragraph 2 of the Basic Law were still pending at the Federal Office for Administration. The ministry cites the sharp increase in applications as the reason and emphasizes that "significant efforts" are being made to reduce delays. Eliahu Raful states: "If Germany understands the restoration of citizenship as part of its historical responsibility, then the process should reflect that responsibility - through greater clarity, speed, and accessibility."
Also from the USA: German Passport as a Backup Plan
The trend is not limited to Israel. At the German Consulate in New York, the number of restitution applications rose from 734 in 2022 to 1,771 in 2025, according to Tagesschau. Since summer 2024, US citizens no longer need permission to retain their American passports when applying for German citizenship, significantly increasing accessibility.
The motives often differ from those of Israeli applicants: it is not so much an immediate fear of war but growing concern about political events. Eliahu Raful notes that for Jewish applicants from the USA, the specific need for security combines with a desire to belong to a Europe perceived as a more open system. "People are looking for not just something sentimental. They are seeking stability, security, and legal protection." However, it is difficult to measure how many applicants genuinely intend to move to Germany.
On May 8, the anniversary of Germany's surrender, the rising numbers of naturalizations represent more than just statistics. They reflect individuals whose families once had to flee Germany and today seek legal protection, stability, and sometimes a new future in the former aggressor country.
