The European Commission hosted last week the second Civil Society Forum in Brussels on combating antisemitism and fostering Jewish life and discussed actions to step up the fight against antisemitism in the EU.
The forum brought together over 250 experts and activists representing European and international Jewish and non-Jewish organisations from across Europe, Israel and beyond. Participants focused on how to (re)build bridges, promote dialogue, create synergies and take new joint initiatives towards a European society in which Jewish life continues to prosper in security.
The first Civil Society Forum took place in November 2022 after the global outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. During the crisis, antisemitic content on social media increased manyfold according to a study published by the European Commission.
The second Civil Society Forum came also at critical moment as Europe has been witnessing a surge in antisemitic hate incidents and violence targeting Jewish people since the Hamas attack on Israel on 23 October 2023.
“The world has changed since the first Civil Society Forum,” said Katharina von Schnurbein, the Commission’s coordinator on combatting antisemitism and fostering Jewish life in the EU when she opened the Forum.
“We had already witnessed the upsurge of conspiracy myths and antisemitic hate online during the pandemic and we were in the middle of the instrumentalization of antisemitism as part of Russian propaganda in their unprovoked war on Ukraine. Then came the Hamas attack on Israeli civilians. And there will be forever a before and an after of 7 October.”
The Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration, Magnus Brunner, agreed in his message to the Forum. “Antisemitism was on the rise back then, but it has exploded since the atrocious terrorist attacks on Israeli civilians on 7 October.”
Ca 550 days later, there are still Israeli hostages held in Gaza, the Commissioner recalled. “We demand their release in order to reach a lasting ceasefire in Gaza. We will not forget the hostages and all other innocent victims of this conflict.”
“In Europe, we are facing the highest levels of antisemitism since the foundation of the EU. Jewish individuals have been attacked; synagogues and cemeteries have been vandalised. Jewish Europeans feel under pressure. Many hide their identity at the workplace, in public or even among friends, to avoid discussion, to feel secure. This is unacceptable.”
The Grand Synagogue in Brussels. Quotation from the Book of Malachi: Do we not all have the same father? Didn't the same God create us? The synagogue is protected by police since the terrorist attacks in Brussels, Credit: Wikimedia Commons
His assessment can be seen as alarmist but is supported by a new research report which was presented at the Forum by Dr Jonathan Boyd, executive director at the London-based Institute for Jewish Policy Research (JPR). Data from the UK, the US and EU member states show a steep increase in antisemitic incidents following the 7 October attack. Although the number of incidents has fallen since then it remains on a higher level in several countries than before the war.
Survey data demonstrate that the number of antisemitic incidents being recorded by the police and community monitoring agencies vastly underestimates the amount of antisemitism taking place. The rise in antisemitism and the degree to which Hamas attacks were marked by open celebration in European cities had a significant impact on Jewish people’s feelings of safety and security in the UK and across Europe.
“Nothing justifies antisemitism or any kind of hate. This is why we are determined look at new ways to step up our EU-strategy on Combating Antisemitism and Fostering Jewish life,” Commissioner Brunner said referring to the first ever EU strategy on combatting antisemitism which the European Commission adopted in October 2021.
Combating antisemitism in the EU is a shared responsibility on both EU and Member State levels but the onus is in on the Member States where antisemitic incidents occur. This is not the 1930’s when antisemitism was on the rise, Katharina von Schnurbein stressed.
“Because of the long and painful history of antisemitism on this continent that culminated in the Holocaust, it’s probably for the first time that the countries of Europe stand with their Jewish communities and have the declared aim to foster Jewish life.” This is also very much because of EU’s common policy and initiatives in fighting antisemitism. For more information on EU’s actions click here
Following the EU strategy, the Member States were invited to adopt their own national action plans and appoint national coordinators to “prevent and combat all forms of antisemitism as part of their strategies on preventing racism, xenophobia, radicalisation and violent extremism”.
Commissioner Brunner said that 23 EU countries have adopted national strategies, and he trusted that the remaining four will do so soon. The countries that are lagging behind in this regard are Belgium, Malta, Poland, and Portugal. Many countries are training prosecutors, judges and police; revising curricula, training educators, and increasing security of Jewish premises.
The renaissance synagogue in Zamosc, Poland, has been restored to its former glory, credit: The Brussels Times
Much of the problem stems from online content. To counter that, the Commission will continue to enforce the Digital Services Act. It will also develop a “Network of trusted flaggers and fact-checkers” (using AI) that recognizes and acts on, for example, Holocaust denial and destortion. The project is still in an early phase.
“Antisemitism is not only a threat to Jews,” Brunner concluded. “The same twisted thinking behind it is also what is eroding citizens’ trust in democracy. When people march the streets calling for Jihad or Intifada, when others engage in Fascist rallies, they are a threat to our society and Europe’s security. This goes against our values, our rule of law, our democracy.”
The EU will address the threat through Protect EU, the new strategy for internal security which was presented last week, and the European Democracy Shield to ensure information integrity. Preparedness and security considerations will be integrated and mainstreamed across EU legislation, policies and programmes, including combatting antisemitism and anti-Muslim hatred.
Katharina von Schnurbein, second from the right, the Commission’s coordinator on combatting antisemitism and fostering Jewish life, surrounded by panelists at the Forum, credit: EU
Jonathan Boyd, the researcher, told The Brussels Times that the data he shared at the Forum only covered a few countries, but the pattern is similar in almost all countries for which there are data. Although the data focused on the UK, they resonated with people from other countries.
The Israeli government organized recently a conference in Jerusalem on the fight against antisemitism to which it invited far-right politicians despite protests. Could the conference be seen as “weaponization” of antisemitism by Israel and a challenge for Jewish communities in Europe that want to align with other vulnerable groups in a common fight against racism and discrimination?
“The data suggest that Jews are far from monolithic in their views about Israel, antisemitism or their relationship with other vulnerable minorities,” Jonathan Boyd replied.
“So, I don’t think there is an overarching singular view. Indeed, one of the tragedies about October 7 and its evolving repercussions both in Israel and the Diaspora is that it has created new and sometimes unseen fissures within Jewish communities that are profoundly painful. We have to find ways to build a sense of commonality both within the Jewish community and with other minority groups.”
Rebuilding bridges will not be an easy task. Katharina von Schnurbein, the Commission coordinator, told The Brussels Times that many civil society organisations (CSO) working for minority and other rights broke their ties with Jewish European organisations because of the Israel – Hamas war, even in non-political areas such as preservation of culture and heritage.
“It has almost become impossible to send Holocaust survivors to talk in schools with a majority of Muslim pupils. “Despite the difficulties, Jewish organisations try to continue their cooperation with other CSOs. It’s important to learn about each-others cultures, to promote understanding and tolerance, and act as multipliers.” She stressed the importance of action on local level in municipalities.
M. Apelblat
The Brussels Times
