As The Jerusalem Post reports, the decision not to set up a task force to combat European antisemitism has been met with disappointment and anger.
While a task force dealing with racism and diversity in a general sense was established, Jewish leaders this week indicated that they believe it will prove insufficient in dealing with Europe’s rise in anti-Semitism.
“Anti-Semitism is an abomination which has been around for a very long time.
It has its specific roots and specific driving forces, not to mention the horrible results it produced in Europe – more so than anywhere else,” said Stephan Kramer of the American Jewish Committee’s European Office on anti-Semitism.
Although there is wide recognition that antisemitism in Europe is an increasingly serious problem, patchy records make it difficult to monitor attacks and incidents consistently:
What about Europe? The European Union Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA) publishes a report every year summarising data on anti-Semitic incidents supplied by governments and NGOs. The problem is that only around half the EU states collect this data, and the quality varies hugely.
“It is very incomplete – it’s really difficult to tell trends over time at present,” says FRA spokesperson Katya Andrusz
Rabbis receive attacks and death threats, and Jewish buildings are regularly targeted – just in the last couple of days a British primary school was daubed with swastikas, while in France shots were fired at a synagogue. Violent and criminal acts are not of course the only element of the problem. Antisemitism is too often heard within political discourse, and is associated with parties which are growing in strength and popularity as well as fringe groups. Recently we’ve heard the leader of Sweden’s third largest political party insist that Jews need to assimilate completely if they want to be counted true Swedes, and a right wing Greek politician assert that Jews don’t pay taxes. In Hungary the ruling Fidesz party seems more interested in copying than countering the antisemitic stance of far-right Jobbik. In some countries, such as France, Sweden and the Netherlands, antisemitism is associated strongly with Muslim/immigrant communities, whereas elsewhere, particularly in Eastern Europe, the traditional far right is the main vector.
Returning to the EU’s rejection of a task force, Eli Ringer, former president of Belgium’s Forum der Joodse Organisaties, expressed his concerns in a measured way, but emphasised the danger of underestimating the seriousness of the problem:
“We feel very much disappointed that the new president of the European Commission did not take notice of this demand. We have the feeling that Europe does not have any more interest in real values, but, [rather,] all the importance is put on economic issues. Europe does not understand the danger of anti-Semitism and has a short-term memory…. We do not pretend that we are in the same situation like before the war concerning anti-Semitism, but the danger of spreading exists, and all Europe could become victims – Jews and non-Jews alike.”
Hat Tip: The New Antisemite
