The head of the Rabbinical Centre of Europe which represents over 800 Rabbis across the continent, Rabbi Menachem Margolin, said that Jews across Europe are deeply worried that Brexit will lead to an increase in anti-Semitism across the Europe.
Speaking to a number of media outlets today, including the BBC, Rabbi Margolin said,
“The EU is today much weaker. The UK in particular was a strong advocate for freedom of religion and in the fight against anti-Semitism. We have lost an important voice here in Brussels and across the continent as a whole.
“Sadly the beneficiaries of this chaos in Europe are the radical parties of the far left and right.
“History teaches us that nationalism and radicalism brings with it nationalistic fervor, dark language and anti-Semitism. It also brings attacks on the Jewish way of life such as shechita and bris milah.
“Brexit sees a number of threats from these parties who are licking their lips at the prospect of increasing power. It appears that Brexit has given them hope. And that is deeply worrying for Jews across Europe.
“I’m urging governments across Europe to not lose focus and to re-double their efforts in fighting anti-Semitism wherever it rears its ugly head.”
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
Join the official YWN WhatsApp status
3 Responses
It has already empowered the rashaim Geert Wilders and Marine Le Pen.
Anti-semitism is caused by sinat chinam. Not by Brexit or any other human behavior. The more we hate each other HaSh-m makes them hate us. Chazal said HaSh-m works the nation’s against us like a stick. So when we start respecting each other, when the religious stop spitting on less religious and when the less religious stop spitting on the religious then we might deserve Moshiach and the end of madness. In the mean while if you think HaSh-m is out of the equation and Brexit is in then HKBH will treat you with Brexitness
The biggest threat to European Jews comes from Muslim immigrants, thus the growth of nationalist parties (whose grandparents 70 years might have been anti-Jewish) is actually “good” for the Jews since those nationalists are now anti-Arab and no longer anti-Jewish. People such as Wilders and LePen (fille) have denounced anti-semitism (meaning anti-Jewishness, they still don’t like the other local semites – which is a good think from our perspective) and are opposing Muslim migration into Europe.
If makes no sense to fight battles that were resolved 70 years ago, and ignore the battles that are now being fought. The EU is giving a “green light” to highly anti-Jewish Muslims to move to Europe and attack Jews, and we should not be upset that the anti-EU are opposing the Muslims.