History does not repeat itself, but it often rhymes, and sometimes the rhyme is difficult to ignore.

At moments of political instability, ideological enemies can begin to sound strangely alike. They adopt a shared language, converge on a shared target, and gradually construct a shared narrative. In the 1920s, that target was the Jews. A century later, the echoes are becoming difficult to dismiss.

To understand the present, it is worth revisiting a largely forgotten episode from the turmoil of the Weimar Republic. In 1923, Germany was in crisis. Hyperinflation had wiped out savings, foreign troops occupied the Ruhr, and faith in democratic institutions was collapsing. The political center appeared weak and ineffective. Public anger was widespread, and radical movements on both the left and the right were searching for ways to channel it into mass mobilization. In that environment, ideological consistency began to matter less than rhetorical effectiveness.

This was the backdrop for what became known as the “Schlageter Line.” Albert Leo Schlageter, a nationalist militant executed by French forces after sabotaging railway lines, was quickly elevated into a martyr by the German far right. What followed was unexpected:........

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