‘’Anti-Semitism is like cancer. There are two things that are certain about this cancer of hate. We know that it is deadly and we know that if we don’t fight it it will spread,’’ said Michal Kaminski, Polish Member of the European Parliament, in an address to the General Assembly of the European Jewish Parliament (EJP) Monday in Brussels.
He urged to stay vigilant. ‘’Vigilance is key because like cancer anti-Semitism often stays hidden for a long time until it strikes suddenly. But although it may hide from us, that does not make it any less dangerous.’’
Referring to debates in the European Parliament, Kaminsi said he often hears politicians shouting about “human rights” and “democracy” as they make verbally attacks against Israel. ‘’I believe that at the core of many of these attacks is a contempt for the Jewish people, a contempt for their state, and a contempt for their right to defend themselves.’’
His remarks came in the background of worrying results of a recent survey by the EU’s Agency for fundamental rights about the perception of anti-Semitism among Jews in eight countries.
“Anti-Semitism has again become acceptable in Europe”, said Alexander Zanzer, Co-Chair of the intercultural committee of the European Jewish Parliament, as he presented the survey's findings.
Among others, the FRA survey showed that 76% of the 6,000 Jews polled felt that their situation was getting worse and that anti-Semitism had increased over the past five years. “It is not evident to express one’s religious identity in Brussels or Paris”, said Zanzer.
Italian MEP Fiorello Provera, Vice-Chairman of the European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs, emphasized that anti-Semitism ‘’is a serious problem that is on the rise across Europe. ‘’
‘’Many Jews worry for their safety and are reluctant to display religious symbols, for fear of the reaction they might provoke. They also worry that governments are not taking adequate steps to ensure their protection and some question whether they should move to countries where they will feel more at home,’’ he added.
‘ While the EU is adamant in its claims to protect minorities within the member states, we are still confronting the virus of anti-Semitism, which we thought was a thing of the past,’’ Provera said.
Joel Rubinfeld, Co-Chairman of the European Jewish Parliament, pledged that ''we will increase our efforts with Parliaments of European countries regarding the introduction of the EUMC Working Definition of Anti-Semitism as a legal tool to fight anti-Semitism.''
The FRA report ''clearly shows that waging this fight is more than ever necessary,'' he said, adding ''make no mistake, anti-Semitism do not threaten Jews only, it undermines also the very basic values of the European democracies.''
In contrast to the situation in the EU countries, Provera featured the example of Azerbaijan, a predominantely Muslim country, where Jews are able to practice their religion and culture without the fear of threats or intimidation.
''This confident energy-rich country is home to the world’s last Jewish village or shtetl. Krasnaya Sloboda also known as “little Jerusalem” which has existed for almost three hundred years and despite the region’s tumultuous history, which includes pogroms and communist oppression, it continues to thrive. Jews and Muslims live and work side-by-side, and respect each other’s faith.''
He mentioned that Jews form the fabric of Azerbaijani society and that the government actively encourages and supports their interests.
‘’Azerbaijan illustrates how interfaith cooperation and Jewish-Muslim coexistence provide an antidote to anti-Semitism,’ Provera said, adding that ‘’we in Brussels can learn can learn some important lessons on how to better support Europe’s own Jewish communities.’’
‘’The EU stands for human rights, justice and equality, and freedom of religion is another fundamental principle, which we must always uphold,’’ he stated.
Jewish life in Azerbaijan was illustrated by the presentation of a report by Jewish News One (JN1).
Tomer Orni, CEO of the European Jewish Union, who affirmed that ‘’anti-Semitism is part of Europe’s DNA,’’ raised the question of how Europe could learn from the Azerbaijani’s “success story of Jewish-Muslim co-existence” and named tolerance a keyword, also to be implemented by the European institutions.
As guest speaker at Monday’s General Assembly, Azay Guliyev, a member of Azerbaijan’s National Assembly, who plays an active role in European-Azerbaijani affairs and takes an interest on issues related to human rights, reported on the tradition of cultivating tolerance in his country which is situated at the crossroads between East and West and thus traditionally plays a role as a mediator.
‘’For centuries, Azerbaijanis have lived in peace and harmony with peoples ofvarious religious and ethnic background,’’ he said.
He explained that Azerbaijan has beeen listed one of the top five tolerant countries in the world among Canada, Australia, Argentina and Sweden and anti-Semitism had never been an issue.
He continued, ''The Jewish community plays a significant role in socio-political and cultural life of the country. Members of the community actively participate in the Parliament, municipalities, and in other state and government bodies. The community has established many NGOs which are quite active in the development of civil society institutions in my country. As our cooperation with the Jewish community gains momentum, I believe it will contribute to further strengthening of democratic Azerbaijan.''
As Vadim Rabinovich, who Co-Chairs the European Jewish Parliament with Joel Rubinfeld, highlighted that one of the activities of the parliament is to establish a dialogue between Jews and Muslims, Guliyev said Azerbaijan can serve as ‘’a good example of ethnic and religious tolerance for the world full of intolerance.’’
The further promotion of intercultural dialogue and the support of human rights are clearly stated in the text of the Constitution of the European Jewish Parliament which was adopted during the General Assembly.
Initiated by the European Jewish Union, the Brussels-based European Jewish Parliament is a body composed of 120 elected members from 47 countries across Europe.
Monday's gathering took place in the European Parliament premises.