“Six Million murdered Jews would be horrified that Europe is going down the darkest path again,” said Rabbi Menachem Margolin, Chairman of the European Jewish Association. 

“We have already long passed the stage of warnings and prophecies. Today, Jews are openly attacked in the streets with impunity. The perpretators are given the lightest of sentences, if at all.”

 

“Six Million murdered Jews would be horrified that Europe is going down the darkest path again” said European Jewish Aqssociaztion (EJA) Chairman Rabbi Menachem Margolin as he called in Krakow, Poland, on the European and its member states to declare ‘’immediately’’ an urgent six month antisemitism emergency period with much tougher laws on hate speech and incitement, regulated public events/protests, and increased security provision for Jewish areas. ”Before it’s too late,” he added.

The call was made Monday at EJA delegation to Auschwitz to mark 83 years since the Kristallnacht, and 80 years since the libération of the former extermination camp.

The delegation of politicians, city mayors, university deans and proffesors from across the continent is discussing the challenges faced by Jewish communities and Students in the mouth of the worst levels of antisemitism seen on the continent since the nadir of WW2.

“We have already long passed the stage of warnings and prophecies. Today, Jews are openly attacked in the streets with impunity. The perpretators are given the lightest of sentences, if at all,’’ said Rabbi Margolin.

“Freedom of speech is being abused daily to incite murder, hate and division. It is directly fueling the fire of antisemitism. Jews are a central part of the citizens of Europe. But make no mistake, this is an emergency not only for the Jews but for Europe as a whole,” he said.

“The European Jewish Association is today urging the European Union and its member states to declare an immediate six-month period of emergency on antisemitism. This period would entail a heightened level of protection for Jewish communities across Europe, reflecting the nature of the emergency,’’ he stressed again.

“This protection includes the enaction of special security measures: Such as ensuring that there is proper and meaningful regulation of public events, including the banning and penalizing of expressions that are antisemitic in nature and that incite.’’

“Emergency designation should also see increased police presence in Jewish areas, the requirement of pre-authorization and an enforceable code for conduct and language at public demonstrations and the appointment of dedicated judicial resources, all of which must meet European legal frameworks,’’ the EJA Chairman said.

“Every Jewish ommunity on the frontline is awaiting the worst and wondering when a real European political response will come. Now is the time. ”

Earlier this month, Rabbi Margolin noted that ”we see more and more Jews who don’t feel comfortable, safe and who want to move to Israel.’’

‘’They fear for their safety. So much so that they are asking to move to Israel. They prefer Israel in wartime to Europe in peacetime,’’ he said.

Already at an ‘’emergency conference’’ for Jewish leaders across Europe organized by EJA in Amsterdam last June,  he warned that ”the situation facing our communities is the worst it has been since World War Two.” and called on Israel to prepare for an influx of European Jews.

‘’If the continent’s governments continue to tolerate this flood of Jew-hatred, they can expect hundreds and thousands of us to leave,’’ he said then.