The European Jewish Congress (EJC) Executive members met in London to discuss the security crisis and other matters of concern to the Jewish communities of Europe.
Prior to the Executive Meeting the EJC was hosted for lunch by the Speaker of the House of Commons, the Rt. Hon. John Bercow MP in the presence of several MPs. The Speaker opened the meeting with an inspiring speech which initiated an interesting general discussion during which it was suggested that the MPs should submit topics of concern to Jewish communities for debate at the House of Commons.
Dr. Moshe Kantor spoke about the need for a better understanding of the concept of tolerance which should take into consideration the security of all citizens of Europe. He also praised the UK as an example for other European countries for the efforts to grant security to its Jewish community and other minorities. He added that from a Jewish perspective the British society is a role model whereby Jews can be proud of being Jewish and equally proud to be British. He also raised the question of limits of self-segregation of some ethnic communities that can result in radicalisation.
Dr. Kantor also addressed the upcoming security challenges, saying that nuclear proliferation can lead to a new level of terror threat – namely chemical, biological and even nuclear terror attacks.
Among the significant items on the agenda were the situation in France and other European countries after the Paris attacks, the impact of the refugee crisis on the European Jewish communities, as well as the restitution of Jewish property in Poland and labelling of Israeli products.