Today religious anti-Semitism is a more than relevant phenomenon on the territory of Europe. Besides that, it is developing and getting stronger more and more. If we draw a parallel between the Holocaust times and the present day, it becomes terrifying that anti-Semitism has increased just insanely. President of the Israeli-Jewish Congress in the UK, Vladimir Sloutsker, notes that the number of attacks in the country is growing. More than 760 incidents have been registered over the first half of the year. It is 30% increase if to compare with the identical period of 2016. 760 attacks is actually a record since 1984.
The modern fight against anti-Semitism is aimed at reducing the number of attacks. However, according to Mr. Sloutsker https://www.thejc.com/comment/comment/vladimir-sloutsker-a-new-way-to-fight-antisemitism-1.447253, it is rather ineffective. He highlights five key points that, in his opinion, will help to successfully resolve the situation that has arisen, namely, to eradicate the harmful processes:
- Give a clear, universal definition of the concept of “anti-Semitism”, which will be used in all countries. The Israeli-Jewish Congress has already developed a formulation, it remains only to be supported and adopted in Europe. Otherwise, how can you deal with a phenomenon that everyone understands in his own way? According to the new definition, attacks on Zionism and delegitimization of Israel are also included in the concept of anti-Semitism.
- Since manifestations of hatred and intolerance affect not only Jews but other ethnic minorities, it is important that they work closely with other religious groups and learn new opposition methods together. Anti-Semitism is the scourge of the entire planet: it is important that the whole society fights against it, and not just the affected groups.
- Proper education of young people is a significant contribution to the fight against hatred. It is important to focus not only on the Holocaust, but also on the most valuable Jews contributions to history, culture, and the development of Europe. We need to underline the danger of anti-Semitic crimes, cultivate tolerance in the heads of the younger generation.
- Since nowadays social media is a popular way of spreading information, it is necessary to share personal stories, messages, etc., aimed at neutralizing intolerance. For the success of this step, large technology companies should be involved in the dialogue as they can have a big influence on the digital world.
- Involvement of the legal sector, active punishment for the committed crimes, will demonstrate the rule of law, which will diminish the desire to commit any act of violence.
As Vladimir Sloutsker believes that the fight against hatred must be smart, active and creative, and involve right technical innovations. Besides, the EU should not cease to declare its position on the eradication of anti-Semitism, but provide all possible resources for an effective struggle.