The world will mark the 16th annual International Holocaust Remembrance Day on Thursday. This day reminds us of the most difficult scenes in human history, of the vicious acts perpetrated by the vile Nazis on European soil. Yet I feel that some European leaders have yet to internalize the most important lesson, which is that when a person's right to live according to their beliefs is undermined, their right to live in general will also be undermined.
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The Holocaust did not begin at the Wannsee Conference in Berlin or during the Kristallnacht pogrom but rather in a series of laws and decrees passed to isolate, slander, and delegitimize the Jewish religion and culture. These efforts culminated in the "Final Solution." Nor can we separate the antisemitic incidents transpiring across Europe today from the restrictions on Jewish life, which began with the European Court of Justice and continued on to other member-states.
Europe's Jewish communities are repeatedly being forced to contend with restrictions that make it increasingly difficult to live Jewish lives. Alongside the widespread antisemitism that increased during the pandemic, decisions were made that harmed freedom of religion. Following a lawsuit by Jewish and Muslim organizations, the European Court of Justice ruled in 2020 that EU governments could ban kosher slaughter for what they said was the protection of animal welfare. This ruling was quickly taken advantage of in additional locations, such as regions in Belgium and Greece.
To these restrictions on freedom of religion, we must also add the significant incitement witnessed daily in the public sphere. Antisemitic incidents that have also targeted Israel, including the IDF's Operation Guardian of the Walls, spiked across Europe over the last year. At the same time, social media has seen thousands of posts against the "Jewish elite" that includes the heads of pharmaceutical giants Pfizer and Moderna, accusing it of spreading the virus to take control of people's lives.
In recent years, European governments and organizations have indeed ramped up efforts to fight antisemitism through new initiatives. The Council of Europe, which counts 47 states as members, published detailed recommendations for preventing and fighting the phenomenon. The European Commission, for its part, presented its own strategy for fighting antisemitism and promoting Jewish life, including the allocation of funds to protect Jewish communities.
Beyond this significant and appreciated effort, European leaders must understand that if they genuinely want to encourage and protect Jewish life, they must protect traditions and ceremonies. The anti-religious legislation must stop. The threat to Jewish life and tradition is a threat to Jewish lives in Europe. The EU is now in the unique position to defend Jewish communities, and it must do more, quickly. We must not only remember the final and tragic outcome of the Holocaust but the events that led to it, for the six million who perished in the Holocaust on European soil and the Jews who live there now.
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