In a letter sent this morning to Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, António Costa, President of the European Council, and Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament, dozens of leading rabbis representing hundreds of Jewish communities across Europe asked an urgent question; “Do Jews have a future in Europe?”
The rabbis shared that they now find themselves on the frontlines as antisemitic hate intensifies daily. Antisemitism, already alarmingly high before the October 7th Hamas attack, has since become unbearable. Jewish communities are facing constant harassment and abuse, leading to growing self-censorship and a deep sense of fear. Many no longer feel physically or emotionally safe.
They describe how the members of their communities now openly ask whether it is still possible to live as Jews in Europe, or if we have reached a point where European countries no longer provide the protection and support needed for Jews to live without fear.
While European leaders have offered words of support, the rabbis stress that these words have not translated into real action to safeguard Jewish life during the most dangerous period since the Holocaust.
They are calling for immediate and increased security measures across Jewish neighborhoods and places of worship. “It is a great pity that such measures are necessary throughout Europe in 2025, but the unfortunate reality is that, in this crisis moment, Jewish communities simply do not and cannot feel safe on a day-to-day basis.”
EJA Chair Rabbi Menachem Margolin;
“Europe is at a breaking point. Jewish families are asking themselves if they still have a future here. Words of solidarity are no longer enough. The Rabbis message is clear: We need urgent, concrete action to ensure that Jews can live freely, safely, and without fear in their own countries. Eighty years after Auschwitz was liberated, the idea of a mass exodus of Jews from Europe is unthinkable – and yet that is the path we are on unless leaders act decisively, now.”
