"As a European Jew, I, like everyone else, cannot help asking if we have a future in Europe." These were the words of the president of the Conference of European Rabbis (CER) and Chief Rabbi of Moscow, HaRav Pinchos Goldschmidt, speaking at a panel discussion in the European Parliament looking at the current situation of Antisemitism in Europe and the future prospects for Europe’s Jewish communities. The Conference was held in the European Parliament amidst reports of a continuing rise in Antisemitism across Europe and was hosted by EP President Martin Schulz and First Vice-President Antonio Tajani in the European Parliament.
The discussion was opened with a memorial for HaRav Yosef Chaim Sitruk zt"l, who served as Chief Rabbi of France and as president of the European Rabbinical Council for many years.
HaRav Goldschmidt speaking at the European Parliament
HaRav Goldschmidt said that the situation of European Jews can be likened to a man standing on a train platform watching helplessly as two trains hurtle headlong towards him from opposite directions, one of them the charging Islamic Fanaticism and from the other side, the Extreme Right. "Jews are worried about the future of Europe – a place where we can live with freedom and have the freedom to express our religion in a safe and free environment. However, the question we must ask ourselves, as European Jews, is; does Europe have a future for Jews? Is there a future for Europe? For a while, we thought that Europeans thought it was not their problem. But today, after the major second Paris attack in November 2015, the attack in Nice and the attack in Brussels airport, we can say that Europe has understood that this is not a problem Jews face alone but a problem for the very fabric of Europe itself.
"We at The CER will do everything we can to strengthen the future of Jewish communities in Europe. I would like to thank members of parliament for faith, enthusiasm and tenacity in the fight, together, against antisemitism for a safe and free Europe for all Europeans.”
The Parliament President, Martin Schulz, said that in this present situation, "Every fifth Jew has experienced virulent anti-Semitism, physical or verbal, and these attacks represent a worrisome escalation leading to a drastic exodus of Jews. This behooves us to take action and not only make declarations. Europe is duty-bound to be better for its Jews."
The First Vice President Tajani, who is responsible for inter-religious dialogue for the Parliament, said that according to figures provided by the Jewish Agency, Europe has lost 600,000 Jews in the past decade. Europe without Jews will not be the same, he declared. This was also the headline appearing on an official press release issued by the European Union.
In a press conference which took place at the end of the congress, Tajani said that anti-Semitism has many faces although the virus is one and the same. "Those who delude themselves that Europe is immune are making a very grave mistake. This is a severe threat and an error for Europe to allow itself to become impoverished from its Jewish history and culture by the gradual emigration of Jews, and we must unite and be focused in halting it."
The Conference of European Rabbis (CER) is the primary rabbinical alliance in Europe. It unites more than 700 religious leaders of the mainstream synagogue communities in Europe. The conference is designed to maintain and defend the religious rights of Jews in Europe and has become the voice of Judaism for the European continent.
