European Coalition for Israel called on EU Commission head Ursula von der Leyen to include the post in her own cabinet.

An advocacy group in Europe has called on European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to upgrade the portfolio of the EU Coordinator for combating antisemitism and fostering Jewish life and to include the post in her own cabinet.

Currently, the post, which is led by Katharina von Schnurbein since 2015, is part of the portfolio of European Commission Vice-President Margaritis Schinas, who is in charge of promoting the European Way of Life.

“Given the dramatic rise of antisemitism in Europe after October 7, this upgrade would be coherent with the commendable political actions of President von der Leyen after the terror attack on October 7 and would clearly demonstrate the importance that the new European Commission will place on combating antisemitism. A Europe which is not safe for Jews is not safe for anyone”, said in a statement Tomas Sandell, Founding Director of the European Coalition for Israel (ECI), a Brussels-based coalition of Christian organizations, grass root movements and churches from different Christian cultures and backgrounds.

The European Coalition for Israel made the call to von der Leyen as it welcomed the  approval of the EU Council Declaration on Fostering Jewish Life and Combating Antisemitism, adopted under the Hungarian EU presidency on October 15.

Last month ECI met with the State Secretary of Security Policy of the Hungarian EU presidency Péter Sztáray on  the sidelines of the 79th session of the UN General Assembly in New York to discuss the background to the declaration.

In the meeting Sztáray pointed out how the Hungarian government has a long history of prioritising the promotion of Jewish life and the combat against antisemitism which culminated in the Council declaration.

ECI noted that apart from taking a clear stance against the rise of antisemitism in Europe, the Hungarian government is also known for its consistent support of the State of Israel at the European Council where the attitude towards Israel under the leadership of  outgoing High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell has at times been highly critical.

In his statement, Tomas Sandell commended Hungary for its consistent and long-standing support for Jewish life, not only in Europe, but also in the national home of the Jewish people, in the State of Israel.

In the Council declaration, the dramatic rise of antisemitic incidents and hate crimes against Jews and Jewish institutions after the terror attack by Hamas in Israel on October 7 is highlighted.

The declaration stresses the alarmingly high levels of antisemitism across the EU and insists that the EU stands unequivocally against all forms of antisemitism, racism, hatred, and discrimination. The Council calls in the strongest possible terms for further action to combat these phenomena.

Among the specific areas, the declaration underscores the importance of combating all forms of antisemitic hate speech, including Holocaust denial and trivializtion. These growing trends, especially online, harm Jewish communities, undermine collective historical memory, and threaten the cohesion and security of European democratic societies.

The declaration also stresses the need to foster Jewish life through culture, education and Holocaust remembrance as key elements for promoting tolerance, mutual understanding, cultural heritage and intercultural dialogue.

Another important priority is to ensure the safety of Jewish people and the security of Jewish premises and institutions, as well as to support and protect the victims of all forms of antisemitism, racism and all other forms of hatred.

“The Council declaration on fostering Jewish life and combating antisemitism adopted under the Hungarian EU presidency is an important step and shows the determination of the EU and all Member States to address antisemitism across the EU with determination,” said Katharina von Schnurbein.

The strategy to combat antisemitism and foster Jewish life in Europe was first adopted in 2021 ; Since then  all EU Member States have taken action against antisemitism but some countries are still lagging behind. Since the strategy was adopted, the situation for Jews in Europe has dramatically worsened.

According to a survey by the Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA) in 2023, 96 % of the Jews said they faced antisemitism in the last year and 80% of them feel that antisemitism increased in recent years. Half of the Jewish people who took part in the survey say they worry about their safety and the safety of the family, and over 70% even hide their Jewish identity occasionally.

Since the Hamas terrorist attack on 7 October 2023, antisemitic incidents have skyrocketed across Europe, according to the progress report released recently by the European Commission.

Contemporary antisemitism can be found in radical and fringe groups espousing right-wing, left-wing or Islamist extremism, it can hide behind anti-Zionism, but it can also be found in the centre of society. Already in 2019 more than half of Europeans stated that the conflict in the Middle East has an influence on their perception of Jewish people in their country.

‘’The recent rise is characterised by contemporary forms of antisemitislm such as holding Jews collectively responsible for the actions of the state of Israel or for example by spreading antisemitic hatred, disinformation and terrorist content online through algorithms,’’ says the Council declaration.

‘’The EU stands unequivocally against all forms of antisemitism, racism, hatred and discrimination. These phenomena are to be vigourously combatted and the Council calls in the strongest possible terms for further actions in this regard,’’ it says.

Progress report since 2021

The European Commission recently published  its first progress reporton the 2021-2030 EU strategy on combatting antisemitism and fostering Jewish life in Europe with an emphasis on good examples from the Member States.

The report shows that most member states have taken action against antisemitism since 2021.

23 out of 27 EU member states have so far developed a national strategy on combating antisemitism, the European Commission announced Monday as it presented  the first progress report of the EU strategy on combating antisemitism and fostering Jewish life announced in 2021.

Of the 23 member states, 14 have developed an alone-standing  strategy and 9 havec included dedicated measures in broader strategies against racism, against extremism or to promote human rights.

Moreover, the report shows that 25 member states have adopted  and/or endorsed the IHRA (International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance) working definition of antisemitism.

The 14 countries who adopted national strategies are :

Austria, Bulgaria, Germany, Denmark, Estonia, Spain, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg, Latvia, Netherlands, Romania, Sweden, Slovania.

The 9 countries are : Czechia, Cyprus, Greece, Finland, France, Croatia, Ireland, Portugal, Slovakia.

”There are a lot of challenges that we need to address. We adopted recently what we called global guidelines in combating antisemitism which have been signed by 40 countries so far. It gives outlines of what we think should be done. For example, to call out antisemitism in a more systematic way. This has to be done by politicians but in particular it has to be done by people in their everyday life, when you are in a school reunion, in a sport club, when you hear antisemitic remark it is impoprtant to address it. The IHRA definition would be an important reference to determine if a remark is antisemitic or not,” Katharina von Schnurbein said.