Jews face ‘worst’ situation since Kristallnacht, says European Jewish leader

The founding chairman of the European Jewish Association has called on the European Union to declare a six-month emergency period in order to implement special measures to address the growing threat of antisemitism.

Rabbi Menachem Margolin told the EJA Auschwitz Delegation in Krakow on Monday that the world faced an “antisemitism emergency” and that the situation for Jews in Europe was the worst it has been since Kristallnacht.

The EJA’s conference marked the 86th anniversary of the “Night of Broken Glass” — the 1938 Nazi pogroms — while also looking ahead to the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz on January 27 next year.

Rabbi Margolin said European governments must commit themselves to providing a higher level of protection for Jewish communities.

Calling for greater regulation of public events, he said that before a protest took place, it must have pre-authorisation and organisers should have to sign a code of conduct to prevent the use of prejudicial language at the demonstration.

“Today, public events and protests have become carnival of hate. Everything goes and everything can be said about Jews. During these six months that we are asking for, the only way to stop this hate will be to properly regulate public events,” he said.

He also urged tough legal action against those who breach the rules. “We must ban and punish antisemitic expressions that incite hate. If we do not, we know the next step,” he said.

Jewish spaces needed a more visible and a stronger security presence, he said.

His demands come after hundreds of Israeli football fans were attacked in Amsterdam earlier this month during a night of violence that city officials said was motivated by antisemitism.

“Today we meet to discuss the dangers to our society, the dangers of antisemitism, the dangers of hatred,” Rabbi Margolin said. “It is on our streets. It is in the classrooms. It is on campuses. It is everywhere. The situation of the Jewish people in Europe today is the worst it has been since the Kristallnacht.”

He went on: “Europe is in the middle of the worst antisemitism crisis since World War II. It is a tragedy that Jews in Europe find themselves in this situation. I can tell you that right now, every Jewish community is waiting for the worst. Every 15 minutes in Europe, another antisemitic incident is taking place.”

Unless governments across Europe addressed the situation, “we will start to see an exodus of Jews from Europe,” he warned, “and the end of Jewish life on this continent”.

His opening address was followed by panel discussions on the rise in antisemitism, especially on university campuses, with education and political representatives from France, Hungary, Germany, the UK, and other countries in Europe.