In the context of the release of sobering and worrying results of an unprecedented worldwide survey on anti-Semtic attitudes by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), a European Jewish leader urged each of the 28 European Union countries to set up a special body under the supervision of the President or the Prime Minister to deal with anti-Semitism, on the model of the United States.
‘’We truly believe that anti-Semitism is not just about one department or committee of the ministry of education. As we see the level of anti-Semitism in most of European countries today, anti-Semitism has not to do only with protection of Jewish communities, it’s also about education, culture and other actions needed today to cope with these developments in Europe,’’ Rabbi Menachem Margolin, Director General of the European Jewish Association (EJA) said.
He made what he termed a ‘’wake-up call’’ during an informative meeting Thursday in Brussels with senior diplomats from some 20 EU countries and leaders of Jewish organizations. The meeting was organized ahead of European elections May 22-25.
‘’It was important to make European countries aware of the feelings, concerns, challenges and the situation of European citizens who belong to the Jewish communities,’’ Rabbi Margolin told EJP.
He also spoke of the ‘new anti-Semitism’’ of those who are behind campaign to ban Jewish rituals, like schechita or ritual slaughter and circumcision in Europe, for example in Holland, Poland, Germany and Norway.
The ADL survey, released Wednesday, covered adults in 102 countries and territories in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Oceania.
The survey reveals that an estimated 1.09 billion people around the world — more than one-in-four adults, or 26 percent of those surveyed — are what the ADL calls "deeply infected" with anti-Semitism, affirming at least six of 11 common anti-Jewish remarks, such as the contention that Jews are more loyal to Israel than to any country in which they may reside.
In Western Europe (24% of anti-Semitic attitudes), the most anti-Semitic countries were Greece (69 percent) and France (37 percent) and Sweden the least (4%). In Eastern Europe, Poland (45 percent) and Bulgaria (44 percent) topped the list, and the Czech Republic was the least anti-Semitic, at 13 percent.
’Today, if you are a visible Jew in the street, it’s common to be heckled as ‘Dirty Jew’, said Rabbi Binyomin Jacobs, Chief Rabbi of the Netherlands, who stressed that ‘’we should not tolerate groups that don’t tolerate the others.’’ ‘’This was not possible in Holland 40 years ago. Today’s it’s normal,’’ he said.
Joel Rubinfeld, Co-Chairman of the European Jewish Parliament, recalled that several months ago an official survey by the EU Fundamental Rights Agency already showed that the reality ‘’is very serious.’’ That Jews are thinking of leaving Europe’’ because 70 years after World War II Jews cannot wear a kippah in the main cities.’’
He called for strengthening legal tools by implementing the Working Definition of Anti-Semitism on EU level.
But Mark Gardner, spokesperson for the Community Security Trust (CST) in Britain, stressed that Britain with 8% in the ADL study has a ‘’low level’’ of hostility towards Jews compared to other European countries. ‘’ Threats and danger begin to appear when there is Middle East violence,’’ he said, mentioning in particular the seriousness of threats of Jihad terrorism towards Jews.
Some of the European diplomats were surprised and disturbed when hearing the results of the ADL survey for their respective countries. ‘’ I have a lot of questions, it’s very disturbing,’’ said the representative from Bulgaria (44% of anti-Semitic attitudes).
‘’We have do do something, it’s not just the law, it has also do do with society. It is important for the society to get acquainted with Jewish life and to know about the contribution of Jews to Europe in all fields,’’ said German Ambassador to Belgium, Dr Eckart Cuntz.
Several diplomats explained the actions undertaken by their governments to fight anti-Semitism like in France or in Romania while underlining the need also for a joint European level response.
But upcoming European elections don’t encourage optimism with the prospect of the entry of extremist and racist parties in the European parliament.
‘’The problem rests mainly with the member states. It is the member states that have to determine and to work out how to contain hate at home before Brussels or Strasbourg,'' said Shimon Samuels, Director for International Relations of the Simon Wiesenthal Center.
‘’This is not only a Jewish problem. Simon Wiesenthal used to say that ‘what begins with the Jews never ends with the Jews,’’ he added.