Meeting with EU Ambassadors and diplomats on Antisemitism Emergency

January 7, 2025

The European Jewish Association had the honour of hosting an important meeting today with Ambassadors and EU diplomats on the ongoing unprecedented challenges and threats faced by Jewish communities as a result of the antisemitism crisis in Europe. EJA shared our proposals for the six-month EU-wide Emergency period and discussed ways of working together both bi-laterally and within the EU Framework to combat antisemitism today meaningfully.

 

We thank our guests for their kind participantion:

  • H.E. Ambassador Pieter Jan Kleiweg de Zwaan: Permanent Representative of Netherlands to the EU
  • H.E. Ambassador Thomas Oberreiter: Permanent Representative of Austria to the EU
  • Mr. Jonathan Rosenzweig: Deputy Head of Mission, Mission of Israel to the EU and NATO
  • Ms. Hiba Tareef: Spokesperson, Mission of Israel to the EU and NATO
  • Mr. Emilio Mineo: Justice and Home Affairs Attaché, Permanent Representation of Italy to the EU
  • Mr. Pablo Barbará Gómez: Counsellor and MaMa Delegate, Permanent Representation of Spain to the EU
  • Ms. Louise Stenfors Eidrup: First Secretary, Permanent Representation of Sweden to the EU
  • Mr. Donát Gesztelyi: Legal Adviser, Permanent Representation of Hungary to the EU

Additional Articles

The EJA Delegation to Auschwitz 2024

The EJA is thrilled to share that our delegation to Auschwitz has officially begun. Influential speakers on the alarming surge in antisemitism, community experiences, and enhanced security measures will lead insightful discussions. This gathering is significant as we come together to address this troubling trend.

Esteemed speakers and influential stakeholders will convene to explore these crucial issues.

NeverAgainIsNow NotInMyWatch

European Commission head to light Chanukah candle on Rond-Point Schuman in Brussels’ EU quarter

The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, will celebrate Chanukah on Monday 19 December  by lighting the flame on a large menorah in front of the European Commission’s headquarters in the Brussels EU quarter.

As part of the cultural agenda of Brussels, the city’s Mayor Philippe Close will light the second candle of Chanukah.

The event is  seen as a strong sign for the European Jewish community in the wake of the EU’ clear commitment to ensuring a Jewish future and fostering Jewish life as laid out in the EU Commission’s new strategy for combatting resurgent antisemitism and fostering Jewish life in Europe.

European ambassadors and civil servants are expêcted to attend the event.

The lighting, which is organized in partnership with the European Jewish Association and the City of Brussels, will take place on Monday at 18:00 on Schuman Square and will be followed by a concert from the singer Haim Tzvi.

Chanukah, the Jewish festival of lights, is one of the most popular Jewish holidays worldwide. Candles are lit over 8 days to remember the miracle of one day’s worth of oil lasting eight following the reconsecration of the Temple in Jerusalem. Its message of hope, light and emancipation resonates are universal and timely. Celebrations worldwide are attended by heads of states who often light their own candles.

In addition to Monday’s lighting, Chanukah will also be celebrated the next day in the European Commission with the presence of the European Commissioner Janez Lenarčič, honoring Hias Europe, the world’s oldest refugee organisation, first established in the 1880s to help Russian Jews fleeing from pogroms resettle in the United States. Since then, HIAS Europe has had a strong presence throughout Europe, resettling hundreds of thousands of European Jews fleeing from violence and conflict. Today, HIAS Europe is a global humanitarian organization with thousands of employees in 22 countries dedicated to helping forcibly displaced persons, irrespective of their background. During more than a century of activity, HIAS Europe has helped more than 4.5 million people escape persecution worldwide »

EuroChanukah is organised every year by the European Jewish Community Centre (EJCC).

"Never Again": Honoring Kristallnacht and Confronting Rising Antisemitism in Europe

We gather here tonight, on the anniversary of Kristallnacht, to remember. To remember the night when windows were shattered and Jewish homes, shops, and synagogues were destroyed. That night was the prelude to a plan that extended beyond murder and physical violence. It was a plan aimed at systematically erasing Jewish life, culture, and presence from the heart of Europe.

We often speak of the concentration camps, and we must – they symbolize the most horrific cruelty in our history. But we must also understand that the Holocaust was not just about the six million lives lost in the gas chambers. It was also about the eradication of an entire way of life. Jewish communities that for centuries had been an integral part of European cities, their culture, and identity, disappeared. Cities like Krakow, Vilnius, and Budapest, once centers of Jewish learning, art, and business, fell silent. Hitler sought to erase Jewish life – concentration camps were a means, not the end.

Two days ago, Israeli football fans were attacked in Amsterdam in an incident described as a “modern pogrom.” This shows that antisemitism is still a reality in Europe. The difference now is that Israel can fly its people to safety. This underscores the world’s obligation not only to combat antisemitism but also to support Israel so that it can continue to protect Jews worldwide when others fail. Israel is the guarantee that the promise of “never again” remains true.

It is with this insight that we must view our present. When we see the rising antisemitism in our cities, not least here in Malmö, we realize that what we are witnessing is more than just a worrying trend. It is a modern form of the historical erasure of Jewish life. When Jewish families no longer feel safe wearing a kippah on the street, when threats and harassment become part of their daily lives, something much deeper is at play than a simple decision to move. It is a loss for society as a whole.

October 7, 2023, changed much in the world. The attack by Hamas and the wave of hatred and hostility that followed shook not only Israel but also us here in Europe. We saw tensions rise at home and how Jews, even in Malmö, began asking themselves again: Are we really safe here? Is this our city?

It is important to understand what it means when a Jewish family decides to leave a city like Malmö. It is not just a move; it is a blow to the city’s soul. Malmö has for centuries been a place where different cultures meet. Losing the Jewish presence means losing part of the city’s historical and cultural heritage.

But we are here today not just to reflect on what has been, but to take a stand against what is happening. We must dare to say: “Never again” does not just mean preventing murder and violence. It also means protecting and cherishing Jewish life in all its forms – religious, cultural, and social. It means building a society where every person, regardless of belief, feels safe to express their identity without fear.

Sweden has a history of being a safe home for many, a place where diversity meets and enriches. But if we allow antisemitism to silence Jewish voices and force families away, it is not just they who lose. We all lose. Our shared history and heritage are lost piece by piece.

So tonight, in memory of Kristallnacht, let us pledge to never let hatred prevail. Let us stand together – as friends, neighbors, and fellow human beings – to ensure that every person, every family, feels safe being who they are. We must ensure that Malmö, Sweden, and all of Europe are places where Jewish life can flourish, not just survive.

We are here to remember, but also to act. Malmö, Sweden, and Europe have a choice to make: to learn from history and ensure that darkness never takes hold again, or to risk that the small steps we ignore today lead to great tragedies tomorrow.

¿Qué sucede con los judíos que permanecen en Ucrania durante la invasión rusa?

BUDAPEST – Algunos judíos se quedan en Ucrania porque no quieren dejar atrás a sus familiares fallecidos, sin saber lo que les depara el futuro, dijo el martes Aliza, una refugiada de la ciudad de Mariupol, en la conferencia anual de la Asociación Judía Europea (EJA) en Budapest.

Casi 5 millones de ucranianos han sido desplazados desde el comienzo de la invasión rusa de Ucrania el 24 de febrero, según las últimas estimaciones de las Naciones Unidas. Actualmente, según las estadísticas de la Agencia Judía, unos 200.000 judíos siguen allí.

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