Bulgarian Synagogue and Halle Memorial Targeted in Anti-Semitic Attacks in Europe

We at the EJA were shocked and saddened to learn of the passing of the son, alav ha-shalom, of Dutch Chief Rabbi Jacobs, our board member, Rabbinical Centre of Europe governmental affairs head and, above all, our friend.
The greatest tragedy a parent can experience is the loss of a child, whatever the circumstances. Most of us cannot envisage let alone begin to understand the pain that parents will go through.
All we can do is attempt to offer words of comfort, words of consolation, to be there for them, to sustain them with our thoughts and prayers.
To Rabbi Jacobs, Mrs Jacobs and family we extend our heartfelt condolences and say,
“May the Almighty comfort you among the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem.”

Communications Minister Yoaz Hendel and UN Secretary-General António Guterres met in New York on Friday and agreed to join forces to combat hate speech, incitement and antisemitism online.
Hendel, who arrived in New York after a three-day visit to Washington DC, shared with Guterres news of the committee that he has decided to establish to review the status of social media networks in Israel and whether they can be defined as media organizations, thereby giving the courts the ability to hold them accountable for content that they publish.
“We are in a war for the truth and in stopping incitement and hate speech,” Hendel said. “Israel will be a pioneer in this battle.”
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European Parliament President Roberta Metsola on Monday was awarded the King David Award by the European Jewish Association for “her support to the Jewish community in Europe,” the multinational body announced.

Metsola received the award after she visited the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp to commemorate victims of the Holocaust.

During the visit, Metsola laid a wreath at the Death Wall and attended a memorial ceremony, the European Parliament said.

“I struggled to comprehend how a quiet part of the world, surrounded by beautiful Birch trees, provided the setting for the worst crimes man has ever seen,” Metsola said, adding that the entire world must know the “horror that stems from indifference.”

Metsola added that the King David Award “will serve to me as a continuous reminder of those heinous crimes committed against humanity in the past and to recall the importance of speaking up in defense of our common values today.”