Today, in parliaments and international institutions across Europe, those in positions of power will once again rise to their feet and solemnly declare “Never Again” – two words spoken with great ceremony, but uttered only on this day.
But what do these words mean in reality? Before World War II, Jews stood at around 9.5 million in Europe. The Holocaust saw the mass murder of six million Jews.
Jewish life was shattered, our cultural and religious continuity a shadow of its former self, and in many parts of Europe, merely a memory, whispered in hushed tones as people walk past an old synagogue or stumble across an old Jewish graveyard. Worse, in far too many parts of Europe, locals are completely unaware that Jews once lived there before being taken to concentration camps. It is as if they had never existed.
Today, there are fewer than two million of us left. We represent around 0.2% of the population in Europe. And today Jews are living through the worst crisis since the Second World War. Every year, governments proudly report that crime rates are falling. Yet antisemitism keeps rising – higher and higher, year after year.
Today, just like then in the dark days just before the Second World War, Jews are being murdered for being Jewish.
They are beaten in broad daylight, spat on, insulted, and branded as monsters. Our synagogues are attacked, burned, or vandalized.
Marches of hate call for our annihilation. Many Jews are afraid to be visibly Jewish or wear Jewish symbols. It is also open season on the world’s only Jewish state – which, a little over two years ago, endured the worst and most brutal pogrom since the Holocaust.
Many thousands of Jews have already chosen to leave. Most to Israel. Think about that for a moment. They chose to move to an active war zone rather than stay in Brussels, Paris, or London.
I ask again: what does “Never Again” mean? Governments across Europe had been signing up to the IHRA definition of antisemitism, appointing special envoys for combating antisemitism, and publishing national strategies to deal with this rising tide of Jew-hate. This was supposed to protect us. It didn’t.
In practice, it all turned out to be a series of well-meaning words on paper that, in many countries, never translated into the real world of laws, statutes, or policing, and in others resulted only in very limited measures that failed to make any meaningful difference on the ground. An important statement of intent, yes – but without effective and substantive implementation, ultimately worthless.
That may sound ungrateful. It may even sound harsh. But it is the truth. Try finding a Jew who can tell you that any of these declarations, strategies, or definition signings has made a single difference to their lives today.
If the plans and strategies are demonstrably not working, what then is the answer to make “Never Again” more than just a slogan, but an actual, meaningful policy?
What does it mean to be a protected minority in Europe?
For this, we need to take a look at the Sami people.
They live in Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia. Like Jews, they have a unique culture and language. Like Jews, they advocate for their rights and heritage. Like Jews, they are few – a fraction of 1% of the population in the countries where they live.
But unlike Jews, they are not being assaulted in the streets. Nor are their buildings like fortresses guarded 24/7.
Like Jews, they are officially recognized as a native people and are supported by their governments to preserve their language and culture. But unlike Jews, international law recognizes their right to self-determination.
It is not enough to have a special minority status. Europe’s Jews need to be recognized with a special protected status: a status that safeguards a people, a culture, and a way of life. What does this mean in practice?
It means security that is planned, funded, and guaranteed by the state and not paid for by the victims.
It means our faith and practice are not attacked by laws that dictate how we eat or whether we circumcise.
It means schools teach about us– our roots, our values, our past, and our future.
It means Jewish schools, cultural centers, and museums are properly funded and supported.
It means our heritage is not hidden behind fences and armed guards but celebrated and cherished as part of Europe’s story.
It means that the Jewish right to live, and the Jewish way of life, are no longer up for debate.
It means making European Jewish communities a cherished part of Europe’s patrimony.
We urgently need to be protected in national and European law by a special protected status. This is not about privilege. It is about the very survival of a people and the integrity of a continent.
Above all, it’s about the many who will stand up today and swear to us “Never Again,” showing they actually mean it.
The writer is chairman of the Brussels-based European Jewish Association (EJA), representing over 650 Jewish communities across the European continent.