On eve of Kristallnacht anniversary, European Jewish leaders call for action against antisemitism

European leaders must translate their governments’ commitments to protecting Jewish life into concrete action, Rabbi Menachem Margolin, chairman of the European Jewish Association (EJA), tells politicians, diplomats and government representatives at a conference in Krakow.

Speaking at an EJA delegation to Auschwitz-Birkenau on the eve of the anniversary of Kristallnacht, when dozens of Jews were murdered and hundreds of synagogues were set ablaze in 1938, Margolin warns that Jews remain fearful despite official pledges to combat antisemitism.

Thousands of antisemitic incidents are recorded across Europe every year, with Jews facing physical attacks, discrimination and intimidation, Margolin says. Jewish children attend schools behind security barriers, synagogues require armed protection, and students conceal their identities on university campuses.

“A Europe in which Jews can only feel safe behind armed guards is not yet the Europe that was promised after Auschwitz,” Margolin says.

He identifies three reasons for the gap between political commitments and reality: inadequate enforcement of existing laws; reluctance to confront antisemitism when it emerges from politically uncomfortable quarters; and the rapid spread of online hatred into the streets.

Margolin called for consistent enforcement of laws against antisemitic threats and violence, stronger protection for Jewish religious practice, and Holocaust education that examines not only what happened but how it became possible.

“Silence is only for the dead,” he said. “For the living, silence is never neutral.”