”We are no longer asking. We are demanding our rights and we’re ready to lead where others have failed,’’ declares Rabbi Menachem Margolin, Chairman of the European Jewish Association, at a conference in Madrid.

”We have the determination to act and the tools to proceed based on the first-ever EU strategy on combating antisemitism and fostering Jewish life adopted in 2021 which is now more relevant than ever,’’ says an EU Commission spokesperson.

According to a new survey, 82 percent of Europeans do not consider the fight against antisemitism as a  priority.  Only 18,4 % support it as a national policy issue. When framed as a matter of safety and civil protection, support jumps to 40,3 %.

 20.4 % blame Jews in their own countries for the war between Israel and Hamas and 51 % of respondents believe Jews identify more with Israel than with their own country. 

The alarming results of this survey were presented in Madrid earlier this week  during the annual conference of the European Jewish Association (EJA) attended by 150 Jewish leaders.

Held under the banner “Building or Leaving? Decision Time for Europe’s Jews”, the conference laid bare the scale of antisemitism spreading across European society and the failure of most political, academic and civic institutions to confront it.

The survey  among 4,400 people was commissioned by the EJA and conducted by IPSOS, a world specialist of public opinion surveys, in as many as six countries: the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Spain.

Denouncing the European ‘’inaction’’, the EJA called on governments, universities and institutions to take decisive action by including hate crimes and web-based incitement of anti-Semitism among criminally punishable offenses, and to further strengthen the protection of European Jewish communities.

Rabbi Menachem Margolin, Chairman of the European Jewish Association, declared:  “The advance of anti-Semitism is tearing Europe apart, and although we Jews in the European Union are the first to suffer from it, we will not be the only ones in the world. Europe must act now to protect its values by protecting its Jews.”

He equated anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism, which, as he pointed out, “belong to the same coin,” adding that “Europe has imported hatred from outside adding it to the already pre-existing hatred and the majority of European politicians, university rectors and media avoid addressing this issue.”

Faced with a continent-wide explosion of antisemitism and perceived ongoing government inaction, the Jewish leaders adopted a six-point action plan which is viewed as a direct challenge to European institutions:

A Binding Legal Definition
The European Union and the European Court of Human Rights must adopt and enforce a universal legal definition of antisemitism — with criminal penalties applied across all member states.

A Citizens’ Charter
Launch nationwide campaigns reminding citizens of their duty to uphold Europe’s core values: tolerance, dignity, and respect.

Accountability in Academia
Tie public funding to university compliance with anti-discrimination standards. Institutions must answer for silencing Jewish voices or enabling hate.

Campus Radicalization = National Threat
Treat extremist activity in universities as a security risk — not a student issue.

Police and Prosecutor Partnership
Formalize cooperation between Jewish communities and law enforcement to pursue and prosecute antisemitic hate crimes.

Pan-European Jewish Task Force
Establish a centralized coordination body to drive legal, political, and security action across countries.

“We are no longer asking,” stressed Rabbi Margolin. “We are demanding our rights and we’re ready to lead where others have failed,’’ he added.

The six-point resolution will be delivered to all EU institutions and European governments.

In light of the survey results, European Jewish Press asked the European Commission to comment on the conference criticism of the ‘’inaction’’ on the part of the European institutions in the face of explosion of antisemitism, EU Commission chief pokesperson Paula Pinho said : ‘’I would disagree with the lack of engagement in this question.’’

‘’To be very clear, the European Commission stands firmly against all forms of antisemitism. Jewish people must feel safe across Europe. We will do everything in our power to guarantee this. We have the determination to act and the tools to proceed based on the first-ever EU strategy on combating antisemitism and fostering Jewish life adopted in 2021 which is now more relevant than ever,’’ Markus Lammert,  EU spokesperson for justice and rule of law,  added.

‘’(EU Commission President) Von der Leyen has asked Commissioner Brunner in his mission letter to work on the effective implementation and update as necessary the EU strategy on combating antisemitism and fostering Jewish life,’’ he said.