Israel flags universities in EU seminar on fighting Jew-hate

Israel’s Mission to the European Union and NATO on Tuesday underlined antisemitism at universities as an area of concern to be addressed in annual talks with European Commission officials about combating Jew-hatred.

“Combating antisemitism requires not only responding to attacks after they occur, but also addressing its root causes through education in schools and academic institutions, particularly universities, which have increasingly become spaces where Jewish students face harassment, intimidation, and attacks,” the Mission said ahead of the annual seminar on combating antisemitism and fostering Jewish life. It has been held with joint Israeli-E.U. participation for the past 16 years.

This year’s event “took place against the backdrop of a significant rise in antisemitic attacks across Europe and around the world following the heinous terrorist attacks perpetrated by Hamas against Israeli civilians on Oct. 7, 2023,” the statement continued.

“Jewish communities continue to face antisemitic attacks in many European countries, including harassment, discrimination, hate speech, and physical violence, leading to an unprecedented level of antisemitic hatred since the Holocaust,” according to the statement.

Israel has accused several E.U. member states, among other countries, of encouraging antisemitism by using inflammatory language against Israel—including Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s allegation last year that Israel was a “genocidal state”—and by recognizing Palestinian statehood. It has also accused Belgium specifically of tolerating antisemitism and promoting it with its recent decision to prosecute three mohels, ritual circumcisers, allegedly for conducting circumcisions unlawfully.

Magnus Brunner, E.U. Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration, issued a much shorter statement about the seminar.

“It is a good opportunity to discuss current threats, challenges and opportunities to counter antisemitism and foster Jewish life. Antisemitism has no place in Europe,” he wrote.

The Israeli mission expressed its “sincere appreciation to Commissioner Magnus Brunner for hosting this highly valuable seminar, especially during these challenging times” and thanked European Commission Coordinator on Combating Antisemitism and Fostering Jewish Life Katharina von Schnurbein “for her ongoing efforts in combating antisemitism.”