Letter by Rabbi margolin to the Ghent University

Wrapping up our two-day Annual Conference in Brussels on 15-16 April, over a hundred Jewish Leaders from across Europe voted in a plenary session to give the European Jewish Association a mandate for a new binding legal framework for European Jewry. With the aim of safeguarding Jewish life in Europe, in binding law and with full protection outside of party political considerations, the mandate seeks a fundamental re-writing in law of how Europe treats its Jewish Communities.

The new legal framework, being worked on with full legal guidance and with substantial advocacy resources devoted to it will, in the weeks and months ahead, establish a trans-national and EU Institutional approach to dealing with European Jewry, instead of the country by country basis that leads to a plethora of differing approaches to European Jewish Communities, some good, some bad, but most failing to have any meaningful impact at all.

The negotiations for the mandate were intensive and forthright, but ultimately the vote passed by majority.

The new legally binding status encompasses the following core areas that directly impact Jewish life on the continent:

• Awareness and promotion of Jewish Life: Pan-European level cooperation and EU funding should support not only security, but also visibility, outreach, education, media, culture, and community-building.

• Security: The model for Jewish Security across Europe should be based on the UK Community Security Trust, supported by dedicated government funding via Ministries of interior.

• Freedom of Religion: Respect for diversity must fully include freedom of religious practice. Whether one is observant or not, this is an essential part of diversity itself.

• Education: Education must begin at Primary schools. School textbooks need to be revised. Erasmus need to include ethical code where Universities engaging in antisemitism should be excluded from the programme. Universities also need to have Antisemitism Commissioner /Coordinator appointed and paid for by the state.

• Teachers and Public Servants: Awareness and Training Programs on Jewish life must include mandatory training on anti-Semitism and should apply to Municipal and public administration employees, Teachers and educational staff, Law enforcement personnel, and the Judiciary.

This is just a taster of the many details and points within the mandate that will be explored and advocated for at Bi-lateral level and pan European Level by the EJA going forwards.

The EJA thanks the many Jewish Leaders in Europe who have placed their trust in us to continue delivering for Jewish life on the Continent.

Our story about Universiteit Gent’s repugnant Sign language dictionary for Jew went viral. From El Pais in Spain, the Guardian in UK, From France to Belgium, the US to Israel, the image of a woman signing a hook-nose to denote Jew is as shocking to the media as it was to us and the family who dioscovered. We are still awaiting a formal explanation from the Rector of the University. They have already captioned them as derogatory but this is not enough. No deaf person should be signing Jew in this way. It is offensive. Full stop. We will keep you updated.
The guargian

IDF international spokesperson LTC (res) Jonathan Conricus, Professor Uzi Rabi, Director of the Dayan Center for ME Studies TAU, Professor Yann Jurovics, Leading Specialist of Crimes against Humanity and crime of Genocide, and Amb. Francois Zimeray Founder, Alliance of Lawyers For Human Rights, will present Israel’s defence against South African war crimes/genocide accusations taking place at the International Court of Justice, the Hague Tomorrow.