By Bill Echikson, EUPJ Brussels Director After a long, sad history fleeing pogroms and persecution, Jews are lucky to live in an era where this danger has, for the most part, vanished. Almost all of us live where we want, at home, abroad, or in…
The European Council of Jewish Communities will host its first e-Summit for European Jewish leaders who will come together to discuss the challenges faced by communities and organisations due to COVID. The e-Summit will start on Saturday, 21 November at 18.00 (CET) and will conclude…
The first criminal conviction in an antisemitism case in South Africa may have an impact on how the courts will rule in pending cases where Jews are the subject of attack. Great news for South African Jews – and hopefully an example to be followed by the rest of the world.
By Bill Echikson, EUPJ Brussels Director When Amsterdam’s Liberal Jewish community moved into a modern new synagogue in the southern part of the city in 2004, tensions between Dutch Jews and Muslims were rising. The September 11 attacks, Mideast tension, and the murder of Dutch…
By Bill Echikson, EUPJ Brussels Director After the Spanish Inquisition and the 1492 expulsion, Jewish life in Spain vanished. But slowly, over the past 150 years, Judaism has returned, especially in Barcelona. An estimated 7,000 to 10,000 Jews support six synagogues in the city, three…
Although 2020 has been a difficult year globally, there have been some positive steps to counter antisemitism, racism, and xenophobia. You can see some of the positive developments thus far in this video and learn more about NOA here.
Many Jews have long criticized the European Union for being anti-Israeli, favoring the Palestinians, and being weak on Iran and other Arab threats. The Israeli government itself likes to say that there is no long-term future for Jews in Europe and encourages them to make Aliyah.
Networks Overcoming Antisemitism (NOA) offers a pioneering approach to tackle the problem of rising antisemitism in Europe. With its unique partnership of major Jewish organisations, including the EUPJ, it will evaluate EU Member States’ policies across areas, from education to culture and security, and help…
By Bill Echikson, EUPJ Brussels Director A Roman Catholic priest plays tennis with a rabbi. A Protestant minister discusses the merits of meditation with a Buddhist monk. In one role-playing activity, an imam acts as a rabbi and a priest simulates the part of a…
This week, the world commemorated #WorldHumanitarianDay. The EUPJ supports the efforts of the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS) and has partnered with the European arm of the organisation in various humanitarian aid projects. In Europe, HIAS has been giving legal assistance to refugees in Greece since…