Spotlight on EUPJ’s Antisemitism Work
On 7-8 May the EUPJ, European Commission and the State of Israel participated in the 15th EU high level seminar on combating racism. EUPJ’s Envoy, Rabbi Dr. Brian Doyle-Du Breuil to the European Union, represented the voice of Progressive Judaism, explaining the difficulties that many Progressive Jewish communities have experienced since 7th October 2023.
The forum comprises of civil servants, member-state representatives, policy makers, pertinent experts, and non-governmental organisations to discuss best practices and measures to combat antisemitism and other forms of hate.
European Commission Vice-President for Promoting Our European Way of Life, Margaritis Schinas, stated in his opening speech: “Antisemitism is incompatible with what the European Union stands for – it goes against European values and the model of society we represent. But today we are better equipped to fight antisemitism in Europe than before, drawing on the first-ever EU strategy on combating antisemitism we adopted in 2021. Now is the time to step up its implementation, with EU Member States and in collaboration with our key partners.”
The EUPJ has spent the last three years co-funding and running two pilot projects for the European Commission that have aimed at tackling antisemitism and xenophobia.
Rabbi Doyle-Du Breuil said: “The conference was a reality check, confronting participants with the tsunami of antisemitism that followed October 7th and continues to peak. It was also reassuring that coordinated measures were in place throughout the EU and beyond, designed to protect and reinforce Jewish life in all its manifestations.”
