Can ‘Berlin’s Mamdani’ convince Jewish Berliners to trust the Left?

Getting into Gideon Joffe’s office takes some doing. Above the historic building in the heart of Berlin rises the golden dome of the New Synagogue, built in the 19th century. Out front, police officers ask who you are and where you’re headed. Past the first security door, your bag goes through a scanner. Then come more doors, all of them extra thick. It’s not paranoia. Since the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel by Hamas and the outbreak of the war in Gaza, antisemitism has surged across the Western world, according to a study by Tel Aviv University. Berlin — where senior Nazi officials gathered at a lakeside villa in 1942 to coordinate the murder of Europe’s Jews — is no exception.