GERMANY - US Jews Reclaim German Citizenship

An increasing number of Jewish Americans with family histories shaped by the Holocaust are applying to restore German citizenship—to have the option to move to Germany should conditions in the US deteriorate further.

Once unthinkable: At 103, Holocaust survivor Ruth Gruenthal has reclaimed the German citizenship the Nazi regime stripped from her because she was Jewish.

After surviving Nazi persecution and rebuilding her life in the US, Ruth became a psychotherapist and raised a family spanning four generations—many of whom have now also reclaimed German citizenship.

Born in Hamburg in 1922, imprisoned in France and forced to flee Nazi persecution as a teenager, Ruth rebuilt her life in the United States, where she lived for decades. But recent political developments, rising antisemitism, and fears of growing authoritarianism in the US have shaken her sense of security.

Germany allows victims of Nazi persecution and their descendants to reclaim citizenship that was deliberately taken from them. In New York alone, applications have more than doubled in recent years.

-www.dw.com, 31 January 2026

Commentary: We categorize this article as “unusual.” Why? Because Jews are beginning to fear.

Why Germany? The possession of a German passport allows the holder to enter many countries without a visa. “The Henley Passport Index is the original, authoritative ranking of all the world’s passports according to the number of destinations their holders can access without a prior visa.” Their ranking is as follows: #4 Germany—185 countries; #10 USA—179 countries; #17 Israel—166 countries.

As a Jew, Ruth Gruenthal is also entitled to automatic Israeli citizenship upon Aliyah to Israel.

A Google search reveals that Jews from Israel and the US are applying for German citizenship; the number reached over 33,000. For Israelis, the advantage is that borders for 185 countries are open. Additionally, they can stay and even work in any of the 30 member countries of the European Union and Schengen Zone at any time and for as long as they wish.

Already some 3,500 years ago, Moses declared: “That then the LORD thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath scattered thee. If any of thine be driven out unto the outmost parts of heaven, from thence will the LORD thy God gather thee, and from thence will he fetch thee: And the LORD thy God will bring thee into the land which thy fathers possessed, and thou shalt possess it; and he will do thee good, and multiply thee above thy fathers” (Deuteronomy 30:3-5).

(See The Case for Zionism, Item #2327, $14.99.)