Conference of European Rabbis hosts antisemitism discussion at the Munich Security Confere
Conference of European Rabbis hosts antisemitism discussion at the Munich Security ConfereDavid Friedmann

At the Munich Security Conference (MSC) on Sunday, Conference of European Rabbis (CER) President Chief Rabbi Goldschmidt said, "The Jewish community finds itself targeted from a number of directions; from the extreme right, the extreme left and Islamic terrorism."

Speaking for the first time to the MSC, at an event organised by CER, Chief Rabbi Goldschmidt’s comments were part of a breakfast he hosted entitled, "Securing Jewish Communities across Europe."

The event took the form of a panel discussion including MK Tzipi Livni (Zionist Union), Maram Stern (World Jewish Congress), International Center for the Study of Radicalization Director Dr. Peter R. Neumann, and former Director of Europol Jürgen Storbeck. The discussion was moderated by German journalist Richard Schneider.

In his closing remarks, Chief Rabbi Goldschmidt, "Within the last few years, high-profile, and devastating attacks across the continent, have targeted Jews. Many Jews in Europe feel themselves being targeted from all sides.

"Synagogues are no longer a safe haven, where citizens go to pray, celebrate or mourn. At the back of almost every Jews mind is the possibility of what could happen. Sadly, in Copenhagen, Brussels and in Paris, that has become a reality."

During the discussion, Dr. Neumann said, "Jews are a priority target, they are the first ones to be targeted. If Jews are being targeted then all citizens should be worried because there is more to come. (With authorities) there is a tyranny of the last attack.

"We focus on the last attack. The last attack was a truck and a Christmas market, so now we are worried about trucks and Christmas markets. Just because the Jewish community has not been attacked in the last year, it does not mean it is not a target.

"In the core of every far-right party there is bonafide antisemitism."

"Every Jew should be able to walk around looking Jewish and not face discrimination. Israel does feel a responsibility, but it is the responsibility of every state to protect its citizens and we cannot take away from that," Livni said.

"Before the Berlin attack, security services (in Germany) did not have enough money," said Jürgen Storbeck. "After the attack in Berlin, security services got a lot of money. But you need to improve information management both nationally and internationally. But still we are not quick enough, and we do not have a good (long-term) forecast."

Maram Stern said, "When I walk on the street alone, I have no problem. When I am on my way to synagogue, you feel uncomfortable. People are curious, who walks in and who walks out, it is like you are in a zoo."