EU leaders to adopt a declaration against antisemitism at their December summit meeting

“In drafting the declaration, we worked closely with the Jewish organizations and responsible specialist politicians in Europe,’’ said Katharina von Schnurbein, EU Commission Coordinator on Combatting Antisemitism and Fostering Jewish life. “There is positive progress at the European level, but the effects are not yet reaching the Jewish Europeans. That is why the EU Commission will present an EU strategy with further concrete measures against anti-Semitism next year.”

EU leaders are expected to adopt a declaration on the fight against antisemitism at their December summit meeting in Brussels. This declaration aims to set a uniform approach within the international community against any form of hostility against the Jews at a time when in the framework of the global corona pandemic anti-Jewish conspiracy theories are flooding the social media.

The initiative to issue such a declaration came from Germany, the country which currently holds the EU presidency.  “It is our constant, shared responsibility to actively protect and support Jewish life,” says the draft declaration to be submitted to the 27 heads of state or government on December 10-11. “Antisemitism is an attack on European values,” the text says.

Two years ago, the EU member states committed themselves to national strategies against anti-Semitism.

“It is a great success that all 27 member states want to set such an example in a time of conspiracy theories and taboos,” Felix Klein , the Federal Government’s anti-Semitism commissioner told daily newspaper Die Welt.

Klein developed the draft that is due for adoption in coordination with his European colleagues. The document t calls to strengthen “awareness of antisemitism in all political areas”. This task is “a cross-cutting issue in which various government agencies and policy areas at local, national and European level should be involved”.

“In drafting the declaration, we worked closely with the Jewish organizations and responsible specialist politicians in Europe,’’ said Katharina von Schnurbein, EU Commission Coordinator on Combatting Antisemitism and Fostering Jewish life. ‘’ There is positive progress at the European level, but the effects are not yet reaching the Jewish Europeans. That is why the EU Commission will present an EU strategy with further concrete measures against anti-Semitism next year. ”

One step would be for all the member states to adopt the International Alliance for Holocaust Remembrance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism.

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European Jewish Congress calls on EU and UN leaders to cease its one-sided Israel bashing that has direct consequences for Jews in Europe

“The constant flow of Israel-bashing by senior leaders in the EU and the UN with little to no criticism of Hamas terror is clearly the main contributory factor to huge growth in antisemitism recorded by all European Jewish communities since October 7 last year,” said EJC President Dr Ariel Muzicant.