LA LOTTA CONTRO ANTISEMITISMO SIA UNA PRIORITA'

Oltre 40 leader dell'UE si uniscono all'AJC per chiedere che l'antisemitismo sia una priorità per la Commissione europea.

Gherush92 e NES fra i firmatari.

Da: 

https://www.ajc.org/news/40-eu-leaders-join-ajc-in-demanding-antisemitism-be-priority-for-european-commission

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40+ EU Leaders Join AJC in Demanding Antisemitism Be Priority for European Commission

December 12, 2024 — Brussels, Belgium

More than 40 Jewish and non-Jewish elected officials, leaders, and organizations from across the EU joined American Jewish Committee (AJC) in signing a letter urging European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President Antonio Costa, and other EU Council members to prioritize combating antisemitism. The letter calls for this issue to be central to the agenda during the European Council Meetings on December 19 and highlights the need for a holistic response as a key priority for the incoming European Commission.

“Specifically, we call on the European Council to prioritize combating antisemitism as a strategic issue for Europe and to mandate the European Commission, under President Ursula von der Leyen’s leadership, to develop and implement urgent measures to address this crisis at an EU-wide level,” the letter states. “This is not a time for complacency — it is a time for decisive leadership. Europe must act swiftly and decisively to stem this crisis before it is too late.”

As the letter notes, this call comes at a time where there is a recorded 1,000% increase in antisemitic incidents in France in 2023, 250% in Germany, 245% in the Netherlands, and similarly alarming spikes across Europe.

Signatories include Former Prime Ministers of France Manuel Valls and Bernard Cazeneuve, Former President of the Republic of Bulgaria Rosen Plevneliev, Acting Chief Prosecutor of the Republic of Bulgaria Borislav Sarafov, Italian Member of Parliament Marco Scurria, and Mayor of Pescara, Italy Carlo Masci, as well as representatives from major international communal organizations and European Jewish communities including European Jewish Congress, World Jewish Congress, B’nai B’rith International, and European Union of Jewish Students.

The letter also calls for deploying adequate resources, means, and political support to bolster the work of the European Commission Coordinator on Combating Antisemitism and Fostering Jewish Life. Supporting and expanding this role are pivotal in the effort to develop and implement urgent measures to address this crisis at an EU-wide level.

The EU-wide effort behind this letter comes just days after AJC CEO Ted Deutch and AJC President Michael Tichnor completed a week-long mission to London, Paris, and Amsterdam, where they urged government leaders and elected officials to adopt and implement new enforcement, protection, and justice-related actions to combat antisemitism. They also engaged with Jewish community leaders to strengthen efforts in this critical endeavor.

Last month, an emergency high-level meeting with ministers, permanent representatives, and ambassadors to the European Union was held after AJC Europe called for immediate action in response to the pogrom in Amsterdam. Simone Rodan-Benzaquen, AJC Europe Managing Director, represented AJC at that convening—the only non-governmental organization (NGO) invited to present. Rodan-Benzaquen detailed AJC’s call for enforcement, protection, and justice mechanism:

• Enforcement of National Action Plans Against Antisemitism: Countries must create internal monitoring and enforcement mechanisms that can evaluate how the plans are being implemented, where the gaps are, and create accountability.

• Protection of Jewish Communities: European countries must do more to safeguard their Jewish communities by establishing an intergovernmental task force on antisemitism to increase information sharing, coordination, and training among law enforcement officials across Europe.

• Justice for Perpetrators of Antisemitic Violence: Governments must adopt zero tolerance for antisemitism policies that include full prosecution of hate crimes with clear penalties that are communicated to the public at large.

A PDF of the letter sent to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and other EU officials is available here.

A SYSTEMIC CRISIS: Antisemitism in Europe 

Dear European Council President António Costa, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Members of the European Council, and Leaders of Europe, 

Antisemitism in Europe has reached crisis levels. The anti-Jewish riots in Amsterdam must be a wake-up call to Europe about the pervasiveness of this problem. Since October 7, an unprecedented surge in hatred has targeted Jewish communities across the continent. The numbers are staggering: a 1000% increase in antisemitic incidents in France in 2023, 250% in Germany, 245% in the Netherlands, and similarly alarming spikes across Europe. These figures are not just statistics; they reveal the contours of a systemic crisis threatening the very presence of Jews in Europe and the European way of life. 

For years, European institutions and individual nations have taken important steps to counter antisemitism. We laud the critical work being done by the European Commission’s Coordinator on combating antisemitism and fostering Jewish life as well as the creation of an EU strategy to combat antisemitism in 2021. We welcome the decision that the coordinator will now be placed under the Secretariat General. However, resources, means and political support to bolster this work must be scaled up significantly, given the extent of the crisis. New mechanisms to address growing antisemitism — including the enforcement and implementation of existing laws and national strategies — must become an EU-wide priority, driven from the highest levels of leadership. 

The upcoming European Council meeting offers an opportunity for decisive action: we urge EU leaders to place antisemitism at the center of their agenda and commit to a holistic response. Specifically, we call on the European Council to prioritize combating antisemitism as a strategic issue for Europe and to mandate the European Commission, under President Ursula von der Leyen’s leadership, to develop and implement urgent measures to address this crisis at an EUwide level. 

Antisemitism today is not an isolated problem; it is deep-rooted, explosive, and urgent. It must be treated with the same seriousness and resolve as other existential crises Europe has faced, such as the war in Ukraine, the energy crisis, or the climate emergency. This is not a time for complacency — it is a time for decisive leadership. Europe must act swiftly and decisively to stem this crisis before it is too late. 

We stand ready to partner with you to help shape a productive discussion at the EU Council meeting. Thank you for your consideration and for your urgent attention to this matter. 

Signed :

Ted Deutch, CEO of American Jewish Committee 

Maram Stern, Executive Vice President of the World Jewish Congress 

Ariel Muzicant, President of European Jewish Congres

Daniel S. Mariaschin, CEO of B’nai B’rith International 

Emma Hallali, European Union of Jewish Students

Yonathan Arfi, President of the CRIF (Conseil représentatif des institutions juives de France) 

Yossef Murciano, President of the French Union of Jewish Students 

Yves Oschinsky, President of Coordinating Committee of Jewish Organizations in Belgium 

Professor Alexander Oscar, President of the “Shalom” Bulgarian Jewish organization 

Klara Kołodziejska-Połtyn, President of The Union of Jewish Communities in Poland 

Faina Kukliansky, President of the Lithuanian Jewish (Litvak) Community 

Petr Papoušek, President of the Federation of Jewish Communities in Czech Republic 

Alla Jakobson, Chairman of the Jewish Community of Estonia 

Michał Trębacz, Acting Director of Jewish Historical Institute 

Agata Patalas, Principal of the Zuzanna Ginczanka Jewish High School in Warsaw 

Arkadijs Suharenko, Chairman of the Jewish Community of Latvia 

Sylwia Kędzierska-Jasik, President of the Jewish Community of Warsaw 

Noemi di Segni, President of the Union of Italian Jewish Communities 

Jigal Markuszower, President of the Organization of Jewish Communities in the Netherlands 

Hanna Veiler, President, German Union of Jewish Students (JSUD) 

Aron Verständig, Chair of the Official Council of Swedish Jewish communities. 

Jeppe Sevel-Lilholt, President of The Jewish Community of Denmark

Silviu Vexler, President of the Federation of Jewish Communities in Romania 

David Obadia Chocron, President of Federation of Jewish Communities of Spain 

David Botelho, President of Comunidade Israelita de Lisboa/Jewish Community of Lisbon. 

David Saltiel, President of the Central Board of Jewish Communities in Greece, President of the Jewish Community of Thessaloniki and President of the Holocaust Museum of Greece 

Lasse Schauder, Federal Chairman, Junges Forum (Young Forum) of the German Israeli Society (DIG)

The Tikvah Institute, Germany 

Alon Meyer, President of MAKKABI Germany 

Volker Beck, President, DeutschIsraelische Gesellschaft e.V. (GermanIsraeli Society) 

NES Noi Ebrei Socialisti (We, Socialist Jews) association, Italy 

Gherush92 Committee for Human Rights, Italy 

Luigi De Salva, President of Religions for Peace, Italy 

Bruno Gazzi, President of Federation of Italy-Israel Associations 

Dominique Reynié, General Manager of Fondapol (Foundation for the Political Innovation), France 

Mario Stasi, president of LICRA France 

Dr. Alina Levi, Chairperson of the Beth Shalom Foundation, Bulgaria 

Professor Joël Kotekn, President of Institut Jonathas

Roberta Bonazzi, President of European Foundation for Democracy 

Rosen Plevneliev, Former President of the Republic of Bulgaria 

Manuel Valls, Former Prime Minister of France 

Bernard Cazeneuve, Former Prime Minister of France 

Dr. Solomon Passy, Founder & President of the Atlantic Club of Bulgaria and Former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria 

Borislav Sarafov, Acting Chief Prosecutor of the Republic of Bulgaria 

Marco Scurria, Member of Parliament, Italy 

Carlo Masci, Mayor of Pescara, Italy

AJC is the global advocacy organization for the Jewish people. With headquarters in New York, 25 regional offices across the United States, 15 overseas posts – 8 across the European continent – as well as partnerships with 38 Jewish community organizations worldwide, AJC’s mission is to enhance the well-being of the Jewish people and Israel and to advance human rights and democratic values in the United States and around the world. With offices in Berlin, Brussels, Paris, and Warsaw, and representatives in Budapest, Prague, Rome, and Sofia, AJC Europe maintains deep ties across the continent.

For more, please visit www.ajc.org.

Data: 2024-12-17

Autore: NES Noi Ebrei Socialisti