Note that the language in this article is pending review in relation to Anti-Semitism's role in relation to the French Yellow Vest Protests.
Modern Antisemitism in Europe
By Raiaab Ajmal and Media Nagasubramian, 6/29/2020
Anti-Semitism: History Repeats?
On October 9, 2019, a gunman attempted to attack a synagogue in Halle, Germany. Inside the synagogue, 51 people celebrated the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur. During the attack, the gunman streamed his attempt online for 35 minutes. This attack is not an isolated incident; antisemitic actions have increased consistently in recent years, especially in Europe. From 2017 to 2018, antisemitic actions in France increased by 74%. In 2018, Germany’s first antisemitism commissioner urged Jews not to wear kippahs in public, for fear that the religious covering made them a target. In January 2019, an European Union poll found that a staggering 89% of Jews believed that antisemitism had increased over the past five years.
Antisemitism is becoming less of a fringe culture and more mainstream, which demonstrates a dangerous trend that currently causes significant harm, especially to European Jews. The main influencers of antisemitism in Europe are far right neonazi groups and far left anti-Israel groups. For instance, in Germany, the Reichsbürger movement, a far right neonazi group who subscribe to antisemitic ideals and stockpile weapons, has gained traction. Another far right group, the Nordic Resistance Movement of Sweden continually harasses Jewish citizens, with the goal of forcing all Jewish people out of the country. On the other side of the political spectrum, are the groups which are far-left leaning, anti-Israel, and antisemitic. One of these groups is the French Yellow Vest. These protests of early 2019 were initially meant to object new increases in fuel taxes. However, they evolved into a much looser coalition of protesters, many of whom protested for entirely different reasons. In these protests, antisemitic sentiment reared its head in the form of scathing verbal attacks against a prominent philosopher, Alain Finkielkraut.
Not only does antisemitism permeate European society, but the government as well through the concept’s legitimization in politics. For instance, the Nordic Resistance Movement managed to register as a political party in July 2015, despite having carried out violent attacks, including murder, against Jews and other targeted populations. Because the group changed its status to a political party, the Swedish government was barred from labeling them as an extremist organization, despite the organization’s violent practice neonazism.. Although the group did not meet the threshold for the number of votes required to enter parliament, their members have been elected to smaller local positions, and their participation in politics is growing at an alarming rate.
An example of antisemitism in politics in Germany is in the far right political party Alternative für Deutschland (AfD). Alternative für Deutschland serves as the biggest opposition party in the government. The AfD frequently expresses antisemitic ideals, such as by criticising the Holocaust Memorial. More notable examples of antisemitism in bureaucracy include the Hungarian and Polish governments, both of which express support for antisemitism. For instance, the current Hungarian Prime Minister, Viktor Orbán, has recently promoted antisemitic imagery as well as attempted to rewrite history by minimizing the role of Hungary in the Holocaust. His targeted attacks of billionaire George Soros are clearly motivated by antisemitism. Similarly, the Polish government, has regularly attempted to rewrite history, by allowing, and even actively promoting, the spread of antisemitic rumors.
However, more subtle forms of antisemitism are an equally large problem. Under the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn, the Labour Party, which is the major opposition party in the United Kingdom, became strongly pro-Palestine. Hence, the party now advocates a much tougher stance on Israel. In the subsequent months, many accusations of antisemitism were made against prominent officials, causing multiple high profile suspensions. Even after an extensive internal investigation conducted by the party’s shadow attorney general, the process of rooting out antisemitism remained slow, garnering criticism and allegations of obstruction. Jeremy Corbyn repeatedly stated that antisemitism does not belong in the Labour party, and some believe that critics have confused the party’s anti-Israel stance for antisemitism. However, undoubtedly, antisemitism is growing within the party. Although incumbent leader Keir Starmer promised to root out antisemitism, without full cooperation of the party’s leadership, his promise will not be fulfilled in the near future.
Due to a rapid increase in antisemitic incidents, in 2015, the European Commission appointed its first Coordinator on Combating Antisemitism, Katharina Von Schnurbein who is responsible for the Commission’s communication with churches and other organizations in order to better combat the issue. In a statement, Von Schnurbein said, “Our ultimate aim must be to ensure that... we’ll see changes in... how Jews feel: more secure, that they see their future above all in Europe, feel they can actually live the way they want...” Additionally, many Jewish organizations are making efforts on their own to promote unity between Jewish people and other communities, such as in Malmo, Sweden. Here, Rabbi Moshe David-HaCohen and Imam Salahuddin Barakat teamed up and launched an organization called Amanah, to simultaneously fight islamophobia and antisemitism. Through their organization, they have spoken with perpetrators of antisemitic or islamophobic acts, to counter their biases and change their opinions. Other similar efforts have been made to unite Jews and Muslims, attempting to eliminate islamophobia among the former, and antisemitism among the latter. One such organization is the Jewish Muslim Friendship Association of France. Led by Rabbi Michel Serfaty, this organization recruits both Jews and Muslims to curb dangerous biases and unite the two communities. Serfaty says, “In these places they often have specific ideas about Jews, [a]nd if they're negative, we bring arguments and try to open people's eyes to what are prejudices and negative stereotypes.” Another common form of protest against antisemitism are Kippah walks. In these walks, both Jewish and non-Jewish wear kippahs in public, as a show of solidarity against antisemitism. Also originating in Malmo, these walks have spread to other European cities as well, such as Berlin and Stockholm.
As memories of the Holocaust have faded, many believed that antisemitism was declining. However, for the same reason, antisemitism has been rising slowly but steadily, just not always in the public eye. Efforts are being made to reduce it, and there will be many more to come in the near future. At this time, the European Union must take a more active stance to combat antisemitism on a case by case basis in each country.
Antisemitism is becoming less of a fringe culture and more mainstream, which demonstrates a dangerous trend that currently causes significant harm, especially to European Jews. The main influencers of antisemitism in Europe are far right neonazi groups and far left anti-Israel groups. For instance, in Germany, the Reichsbürger movement, a far right neonazi group who subscribe to antisemitic ideals and stockpile weapons, has gained traction. Another far right group, the Nordic Resistance Movement of Sweden continually harasses Jewish citizens, with the goal of forcing all Jewish people out of the country. On the other side of the political spectrum, are the groups which are far-left leaning, anti-Israel, and antisemitic. One of these groups is the French Yellow Vest. These protests of early 2019 were initially meant to object new increases in fuel taxes. However, they evolved into a much looser coalition of protesters, many of whom protested for entirely different reasons. In these protests, antisemitic sentiment reared its head in the form of scathing verbal attacks against a prominent philosopher, Alain Finkielkraut.
Not only does antisemitism permeate European society, but the government as well through the concept’s legitimization in politics. For instance, the Nordic Resistance Movement managed to register as a political party in July 2015, despite having carried out violent attacks, including murder, against Jews and other targeted populations. Because the group changed its status to a political party, the Swedish government was barred from labeling them as an extremist organization, despite the organization’s violent practice neonazism.. Although the group did not meet the threshold for the number of votes required to enter parliament, their members have been elected to smaller local positions, and their participation in politics is growing at an alarming rate.
An example of antisemitism in politics in Germany is in the far right political party Alternative für Deutschland (AfD). Alternative für Deutschland serves as the biggest opposition party in the government. The AfD frequently expresses antisemitic ideals, such as by criticising the Holocaust Memorial. More notable examples of antisemitism in bureaucracy include the Hungarian and Polish governments, both of which express support for antisemitism. For instance, the current Hungarian Prime Minister, Viktor Orbán, has recently promoted antisemitic imagery as well as attempted to rewrite history by minimizing the role of Hungary in the Holocaust. His targeted attacks of billionaire George Soros are clearly motivated by antisemitism. Similarly, the Polish government, has regularly attempted to rewrite history, by allowing, and even actively promoting, the spread of antisemitic rumors.
However, more subtle forms of antisemitism are an equally large problem. Under the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn, the Labour Party, which is the major opposition party in the United Kingdom, became strongly pro-Palestine. Hence, the party now advocates a much tougher stance on Israel. In the subsequent months, many accusations of antisemitism were made against prominent officials, causing multiple high profile suspensions. Even after an extensive internal investigation conducted by the party’s shadow attorney general, the process of rooting out antisemitism remained slow, garnering criticism and allegations of obstruction. Jeremy Corbyn repeatedly stated that antisemitism does not belong in the Labour party, and some believe that critics have confused the party’s anti-Israel stance for antisemitism. However, undoubtedly, antisemitism is growing within the party. Although incumbent leader Keir Starmer promised to root out antisemitism, without full cooperation of the party’s leadership, his promise will not be fulfilled in the near future.
Due to a rapid increase in antisemitic incidents, in 2015, the European Commission appointed its first Coordinator on Combating Antisemitism, Katharina Von Schnurbein who is responsible for the Commission’s communication with churches and other organizations in order to better combat the issue. In a statement, Von Schnurbein said, “Our ultimate aim must be to ensure that... we’ll see changes in... how Jews feel: more secure, that they see their future above all in Europe, feel they can actually live the way they want...” Additionally, many Jewish organizations are making efforts on their own to promote unity between Jewish people and other communities, such as in Malmo, Sweden. Here, Rabbi Moshe David-HaCohen and Imam Salahuddin Barakat teamed up and launched an organization called Amanah, to simultaneously fight islamophobia and antisemitism. Through their organization, they have spoken with perpetrators of antisemitic or islamophobic acts, to counter their biases and change their opinions. Other similar efforts have been made to unite Jews and Muslims, attempting to eliminate islamophobia among the former, and antisemitism among the latter. One such organization is the Jewish Muslim Friendship Association of France. Led by Rabbi Michel Serfaty, this organization recruits both Jews and Muslims to curb dangerous biases and unite the two communities. Serfaty says, “In these places they often have specific ideas about Jews, [a]nd if they're negative, we bring arguments and try to open people's eyes to what are prejudices and negative stereotypes.” Another common form of protest against antisemitism are Kippah walks. In these walks, both Jewish and non-Jewish wear kippahs in public, as a show of solidarity against antisemitism. Also originating in Malmo, these walks have spread to other European cities as well, such as Berlin and Stockholm.
As memories of the Holocaust have faded, many believed that antisemitism was declining. However, for the same reason, antisemitism has been rising slowly but steadily, just not always in the public eye. Efforts are being made to reduce it, and there will be many more to come in the near future. At this time, the European Union must take a more active stance to combat antisemitism on a case by case basis in each country.
The E.U.'s Commitment to Jews: Unprecedented Protection
Devised in 1879 by German agitator Wilhelm Marr, the term “antisemitism” was created to recognize the anti-Jewish sentiment underway in Central Europe at the time. Anti-semitism is defined as hostility toward or discrimination against Jews as a religious or racial group. Not only does the term include prejudiced views and stereotypes against Jewish culture and their way of life, but the concept also permits political and social efforts to oppress, harm, and segregate the Jewish community. Biased opinions and the ill-treatment of Jews have existed ever since the emergence of Judaism and is evident wherever the Jewish community has settled outside of Palestine.
One of the most significant and atrocious examples of antisemitism in European history was the Holocaust, also known as the “Shoah.” The Holocaust/Shoah was the mass genocide and ethnic cleansing of the European Jews during World War II, resulting in the murder of approximately 6 million Jews in Germany, Austria, and neighboring areas. Although this inhumane persecution against the Jewish community ended 75 years ago, hatred and discernable oppression is still present against this community in Europe. The severity of the situation has reached the extent where the European Union currently takes action to address this serious issue.
A political and economic union of 27 member states that are located primarily in Europe, the European Union has taken several steps over the past few years to reduce the extremity of this oppression. The European Commission is the EU's politically independent executive arm and represents the general interests of the European Union. This organization made history by endorsing non-legally binding International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism, which states: “Antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.” Several Jewish establishments fighting against anti-semitism use this definition as a pivotal criterion. 7 EU member states also adopted this definition.
By 2015, the first Fundamental Rights Colloquium was dedicated to combating Antisemitism and Anti-Muslim hatred and other forms of racism and intolerance, followed by the appointment of a “European Commission Coordinator on combatting Antisemitism,” who has been able to bring the concerns of the Jewish community to the attention of the political level of the Commission. Furthermore, the Commission has exerted efforts to reduce the expansion of ani-Semitism on online platforms. In 2016, the Commission used the “Code of Conduct” on illegal online hate speech. Soon after, in June 2017, the European Commission espoused a resolution dedicated to fighting the prevailing anti-semitism
On 6 December 2018, Justice and Home Affairs Ministers of all 28 EU Member States adopted an "EU Council Declaration on the fight against antisemitism and the development of a common security approach to better protect Jewish communities and institutions in Europe.” This declaration consisted of an appeal to; adopt “national strategies to prevent and fight all forms of Antisemitism within their general strategies against racism,” as well as the IHRA definition, corroborate the safety of Jewish persons within the society, and provide the funding needed to do so, emboldening the idea of promoting education on the Holocaust and Jewish life today. Additionally, on 29 November 2018, the EU acquired a “Permanent International Partnership with the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance,” allowing it to assess the situation of antisemitism in more detail, and propose better solutions and precautions.
In the 21st century, there truly is no place for racism, intolerance, and hostility. Striving for unity will allow communities around the globe to prosper, regardless of religion, race, or creed. People from all different parts of the world must learn to recognize others as their equals, without minorities having to struggle profusely for basic human rights. The continuation and implementation of the steps taken by the EU are of utmost importance and efforts must be exerted to provide similar reforms, allowing the Jewish community to live in peace and comfort.
One of the most significant and atrocious examples of antisemitism in European history was the Holocaust, also known as the “Shoah.” The Holocaust/Shoah was the mass genocide and ethnic cleansing of the European Jews during World War II, resulting in the murder of approximately 6 million Jews in Germany, Austria, and neighboring areas. Although this inhumane persecution against the Jewish community ended 75 years ago, hatred and discernable oppression is still present against this community in Europe. The severity of the situation has reached the extent where the European Union currently takes action to address this serious issue.
A political and economic union of 27 member states that are located primarily in Europe, the European Union has taken several steps over the past few years to reduce the extremity of this oppression. The European Commission is the EU's politically independent executive arm and represents the general interests of the European Union. This organization made history by endorsing non-legally binding International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism, which states: “Antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.” Several Jewish establishments fighting against anti-semitism use this definition as a pivotal criterion. 7 EU member states also adopted this definition.
By 2015, the first Fundamental Rights Colloquium was dedicated to combating Antisemitism and Anti-Muslim hatred and other forms of racism and intolerance, followed by the appointment of a “European Commission Coordinator on combatting Antisemitism,” who has been able to bring the concerns of the Jewish community to the attention of the political level of the Commission. Furthermore, the Commission has exerted efforts to reduce the expansion of ani-Semitism on online platforms. In 2016, the Commission used the “Code of Conduct” on illegal online hate speech. Soon after, in June 2017, the European Commission espoused a resolution dedicated to fighting the prevailing anti-semitism
On 6 December 2018, Justice and Home Affairs Ministers of all 28 EU Member States adopted an "EU Council Declaration on the fight against antisemitism and the development of a common security approach to better protect Jewish communities and institutions in Europe.” This declaration consisted of an appeal to; adopt “national strategies to prevent and fight all forms of Antisemitism within their general strategies against racism,” as well as the IHRA definition, corroborate the safety of Jewish persons within the society, and provide the funding needed to do so, emboldening the idea of promoting education on the Holocaust and Jewish life today. Additionally, on 29 November 2018, the EU acquired a “Permanent International Partnership with the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance,” allowing it to assess the situation of antisemitism in more detail, and propose better solutions and precautions.
In the 21st century, there truly is no place for racism, intolerance, and hostility. Striving for unity will allow communities around the globe to prosper, regardless of religion, race, or creed. People from all different parts of the world must learn to recognize others as their equals, without minorities having to struggle profusely for basic human rights. The continuation and implementation of the steps taken by the EU are of utmost importance and efforts must be exerted to provide similar reforms, allowing the Jewish community to live in peace and comfort.