‘In Fight Against Antisemitism, We Need Allies of All Faiths’: CAM Calls for Broad Cooperation at EU Conference Against Jew-Hatred

In an address at a European Parliament conference in Brussels, Belgium, on Thursday, Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) Director of European Affairs Oriana Marie Krüger called for greater interfaith cooperation in the collective effort against rising antisemitism worldwide.

“I don’t believe that antisemitism is a problem that Jews should solve,” Krüger said. “We all need to work together on this, as a coalition. In the fight against antisemitism, we need allies of all faiths.”

Thursday’s event — titled “The Multiple Faces of Antisemitism in Europe” — was co-sponsored by CAM, the Israel Allies Foundation (IAF), and the European Christian Political Movement (ECPM), and attendees included dozens of European lawmakers, as well as Jewish and pro-Israel advocates from across the world.

The purpose of the gathering was to discuss new approaches to countering world’s oldest hatred, including implementation of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) Definition of Antisemitism.

“We need to educate and create opportunities for face-to-face interactions, because only through interpersonal experiences can connections be created,” Krueger noted. “We need to connect and we need to speak about antisemitism, all of us also in our own surroundings.”

One of the event’s hosts, MEP Niclas Herbst of Germany, said, “Antisemitism is a threat not just for the Jewish people, but it is a poison for our society, our values and our democracy.”

The other host, MEP Bert-Jan Ruissen of the Netherlands, highlighted the danger of lack of historical knowledge of the Nazi genocide among young Europeans, saying, “Many Europeans live with distorted views of Jews and the Holocaust.”

Josh Reinstein — President of the IAF — said, “Faith-based diplomacy in support for Israel is one of the most powerful tools available today to combat the steady rise of antisemitism around the world, including its most recent manifestation, anti-Zionism.”

“It is unfortunate that fighting antisemitism is still a topic that is relevant today,” commented ECPM President Valeriu Ghileţchi.