Europe must combat antisemitism as thousands of Jews abandon the continent, top Jewish leader says

LARNACA, Cyprus (AP) — Governments across Europe need to immediately take action against a precipitous rise in antisemitism that’s driving thousands of Jews to abandon the continent, the leader of a prominent European Jewish organization said Monday.

Rabbi Menachem Margolin, chairman of the European Jewish Association (EJA), said some 40,000 Jews have already left Europe in recent years with no intention of returning as a result of a rise in antisemitic sentiment.

Instead of a wave of solidarity with Israel following the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack that triggered a war now in its 15th month, Margolin said antisemitism has skyrocketed by 2,000%, according to statistics he says have been collated by organizations that monitor antisemitism.

Margolin said 2025 will be a “critical year” for European Jews because the course of action that governments will take to combat antisemitism will determine the future of Jewish communities on the continent.

“There’s still a chance that Jewish people will be living in Europe,” Margolin told The Associated Press in an interview ahead of a gala dinner honoring former Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades for his efforts to foster closer Cyprus-Israel relations during his tenure.

“But if the governments of Europe will not take serious measures that we are demanding from them in this year this is the beginning of the end of Jewish presence in Europe,” he said.

His said the EJA, the largest Jewish organization in Europe representing several hundred Jewish communities, brought together Jewish leaders from across the continent for a summit on tackling rising antisemitism.

He said European governments need to move beyond mere verbal condemnations of antisemitic behavior and take effective action to ensure the safety and security of Jewish institutions and Jews practicing their customs in Europe.

Authorities also need to establish a “code of conduct” by which demonstrations against Israel don’t devolve into antisemitic protests, Margolin said.

These immediate steps should be accompanied by “strong and swift” punishment of individuals found guilty of antisemitic actions.

Over the long term, Europe needs prosecutors who have a clear understanding of the many forms antisemitism can take, as well as programs introduced in schools to educate people against antisemitic attitudes.

“But more important is the willingness of the government to combat antisemitism,” said Margolin.

The EJA chairman said antisemitism is “coming from all sides of the political spectrum” as Russia’s war in Ukraine fuels concern and uncertainty within Europe that’s compounded by “demographic change.”

Margolin attributed political shortsightedness to European elected officials who “pretend to think that everything is just alright” and “do not understand the emergency of combating antisemitism.”

He said his organization chose to hold the summit in Cyprus because Jewish people on the eastern Mediterranean island nation feel “very, very welcome” and secure while the government has close relations with the state of Israel.

According to Margolin, opposition to the Jewish state is the prime reason for antisemitism in Europe.

“The moment the government is friendly towards Israel and understands and defends Israel’s right to defend itself, it reduces a lot of tension against Jewish people,” Margolin said.