Israeli minister, UN chief agree to combat antisemitism online

October 25, 2021

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.”
Read more

Additional Articles

Austrian Initiative Promoting Holocaust Education in Awake of WWII Victory Anniversary

EJA had received the following letter from the Federal Chancellery of Austria:

Dear Sir/Madame,

I hope this message finds you well. 

The 8th of May 1945 marked the end of the Second World War in Europe and the end of the Nazi reign of terror in Austria. While looking back at the darkest chapter in Austria‘s history, the 8th of May also represents a day of liberation and joy.

Chancellor Sebastian Kurz and Vice Chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache spoke at today’s commemorative event, emphasizing that remembrance must be followed by concrete action. Austria has a special responsibility in the fight against antisemitism and in safeguarding Jewish life in Europe, Israel and in the rest of the world. The first ever agreement of the EU countries to decisively fight antisemitism which Austria managed to reach during its Presidency, was an important step into the right direction.

“My generation is probably the last one that is able to speak to holocaust survivors. In this context, I fully support the proposal to give all secondary students in Austria the possibility to visit the Mauthausen memorial at least once in their lifetime,” so the Chancellor.

Vice-Chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache also underlined Austria’s commitment to remembrance on such a significant day: “The Shoah was the most horrible and vicious manifestation of the Nazi terror regime. I bow my head to all those who became victims to this gruesome and cruel time in our history.”

Austria has been cooperating actively with the memorial Yad Vashem over the past decades. Since the year 2000, around 800 Austrian teachers participated in seminars/courses at the memorial to improve the curricula of Austrianstudents, and last year, as Austrian Federal Government, we contributed 1 Million Euros to the construction of the Shoah Heritage Campus. 

To further strengthen this relationship, today Chancellor Sebastian Kurz has signed on behalf of the Austrian Federal Government an archival agreement with Yad Vashem. The agreement will give historians from Austria and Israel the opportunity to access their respective archives and conduct their research. We are firmly committed to make sure that no individual story will ever be forgotten.

Feel free to come back to me at any time in case of further inquiries or comments.

Kind Regards,
Peter Launsky-Tieffenthal

Federal Chancellery of the Republic of Austria

Spokesperson of the Federal Government

Ambassador

Peter Launsky-Tieffenthal

EJA Chairman, Rabbi Menachem Margolin had reply to the letter:
c and vc at

Anti-Semitic acts nearly quadrupled last year in France, says Jewish organisation

France24: https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20240125-anti-semitic-acts-nearly-quadrupled-last-year-in-france-says-jewish-organisation

Anti-Semitic acts in France nearly quadrupled in 2023 compared with the previous year, a Jewish organisation said Wednesday, reflecting a surge in discrimination since the October 7 attack by Hamas on Israel.

Issued on:

1 min

Citing figures from the French interior ministry and a French-Jewish security watchdog, the Council of Jewish Institutions in France (CRIF) said there were 1,676 anti-Semitic acts last year compared to 436 the year prior.

Nearly 60 percent of those acts were attacks involving physical violence, threatening words or menacing gestures, CRIF said in its report.

Worryingly, nearly 13 percent of anti-Semitic acts last year took place in schools, most of them in junior high schools.

“We are witnessing a rejuvenation of the perpetrators of anti-Semitic acts. Schools are no longer a sanctuary of the Republic,” the report said.

The spike in anti-Semitism is the worst on record, according to CRIF, which has figures dating back to 2012.

Read moreFrench Jews speak out amid rising anti-Semitism

The organisation cautioned that its tally reflects only acts “that have been the subject of a complaint or a report to the police”.

France is home to Europe’s largest Jewish community and the largest number of Muslims on the continent, although no precise figures are available as the country’s census does not include religious identity.

According to CRIF, the bloodshed in the Middle East has unleashed a wave of anti-Semitic vitriol.

Read moreFrance’s Jewish community faces a surge in anti-Semitism

In the three months following Hamas’ October 7 attack and Israel’s subsequent invasion of Gaza, the number of anti-Semitic incidents “equalled that of the previous three years combined”, according to the report.

A third of the acts glorified jihadism, according to CRIF, and a quarter were “calls to murder”.

France has seen previous surges of anti-Semitism, including after a 2012 attack on a Jewish school in Toulouse and a 2015 attack on a kosher supermarket in Paris.

Celebating Chanukah with PM Sophie Wilmès

Our Chairman Rabbi Menachem Margolin had the opportunity to meet Belgian Prime Minister Sophie Wilmès yesterday evening at the Chaarei Tzion Synagogue in Brussels, where leaders gathered to mark the 8th and concluding night of the Chanukah holiday. The Prime Minister and Rabbi Margolin agreed to stay in touch regarding ongoing challenges and opportunities affecting European Jewry.

Rabbi Margolin is pictured here along with Mr Alain Wahba of the MR for the Brussels Region and, of course, Prime Minister Wilmes.

European Jews are breathing a sigh of relief after Corbyn lost'

Chief of European Jewish Association celebrates Corbyn’s election defeat. ‘This election wasn’t about right vs left, it was right vs wrong.’
With the results of the UK’s general election Thursday pointing to a decisive victory for the Conservative Party and Prime Minister Boris Johnson, the Chairman of the Brussels-based European Jewish Association said that Jews across the continent would be breathing a collective sigh of relief at the defeat of Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour Party.
Rabbi Menachem Margolin, chief of the European Jewish Association, which represents hundreds of Jewish communities across the continent, said Jewish opposition to Corbyn was not partisan.
“I want to be clear that we are a non-partisan organisation. We have no political affiliation. Nor do we endorse or advocate for the UK Conservative Party,” said Rabbi Margolin.
“The potential election of Jeremy Corbyn as Prime Minister for us and the vast majority of Jews was not a story of left or right, but about what is right and what is wrong.”
“The election to the highest elected office in the United Kingdom of an avowed Israel hater whose approach to eradicating antisemitism was anodyne and recalcitrant at best, would have been a devastating signal not only to British Jewry, but to Jews everywhere.”
“We fully agree with the Chief Rabbi’s assessment that he is wholly unfit for office. It appears that a majority of the British electorate are of a similar opinion.”
“This morning – as Jews across Europe wake up to the news coming out of the United Kingdom – we will be collectively breathing a sigh of relief.”
With 648 out of 650 races called for Britain’s Parliament, the Conservatives have won 363 seats, compared to just 203 for Labour, giving the Conservatives a wide majority.
Labour chairman Jeremy Corbyn announced that following his party’s defeat, he would be stepping down as party leader before the next general election.
The article was published on Arutz 7

Additional Communities
United Kingdom
Ukraine
Turkey
Schweiz
Switzerland
Sweden
Spain
Slovenia
Slovakia
Serbia
Russia