In an exclusive interview with Israel Hayom, the European Union’s coordinator for antisemitism and fostering Jewish life warns that threats to Jewish safety signal broader threat to European democracy, warns against attempts to rid Europe of Holocaust responsibility, and discusses new legislation to combat antisemitism on social media.
by Adi Nirman – Published on 06-04-2025
Relations between the European Union and Israel have repeatedly made headlines over the past month, and despite their traditionally strong ties, the context has been far from positive. In the shadow of decisions to examine the association agreement between Israel and the European Union and calls from EU member state leaders against Israel, a troubling trend we unfortunately know well continues to grow and intensify, particularly over the past year and a half – antisemitism.
Katharina von Schnurbein, who serves as the European Commission Coordinator on Combating Antisemitism and Fostering Jewish Life, has occupied this position since 2015 and developed, alongside her team, a comprehensive strategy that became operational in 2021. The strategy was developed before anyone could envision Hamas’ horrific October 7 attack and its catastrophic ramifications across multiple dimensions, fundamentally redefining Schnurbein’s role, as she expresses deep concern about emerging trends and implements necessary adaptations to address these consequences.
I met Schnurbein in Jerusalem during her visit to Israel, a journey she commenced at Yad Vashem with a new audio-visual experience funded by the European Union, narrating the story of Europe and North Africa’s lost Jewish communities. Prominently displayed on her jacket lapel is a symbol that has accompanied Israelis and Jewish communities globally for the past year and a half – a yellow hostage pin, a small yet profound emblem of solidarity.
“An artificial separation”
Whether addressing incidents across EU member states, the Molotov cocktail assault in Colorado, or the murder of diplomats Yaron Lishinsky and Sarah Milgram in Washington, a narrative asserting these attacks represent anti-Zionism rather than antisemitic motivations is currently being advanced worldwide – a problematic characterization given that victims are overwhelmingly Jewish.
Q: As the coordinator on combating antisemitism and fostering Jewish life, do you think antisemitism by definition is often masked as anti-Zionism since October 7th?
“Yes. We have said it before – antisemitism can hide behind anti-Zionism. It’s even written in our EU strategy on combating antisemitism and fostering Jewish life. After October 7, I think it has come much more to the fore. In our definition [of antisemitism], the IHRA definition, we have examples of Israel-related antisemitism and anti-Zionism, which are there for a reason. This definition was written originally in 2005, so it’s not in itself a new phenomenon, but the way it has come to the streets is very predominant now, and that’s a very worrying trend,” Schnurbein explained.
Q: The thing is, a lot of people who are anti-Israel actually distinguish between anti-Zionism and antisemitism. Do you think that’s possible?
“The IHRA definition says criticizing Israel like you would criticize any other country is not antisemitic. So, you can criticize the actions of the government. But Zionism was the movement of the Jewish people to have their own state. Anti-Zionism, therefore, is the denial of a state for the Jewish people. And that in itself is antisemitic. So, I believe in the end, if you look at it, it’s an artificial separation,” she clarified.
This artificial distinction manifested concretely in Belgium several weeks earlier. A father and daughter walked through Antwerp’s streets when a restaurant customer abruptly stood, seized his wine glass, and hurled the liquid directly into the child’s eyes while screaming “Free Palestine” and hurling curses. When I inquire about such incidents from her perspective, she responded:
“So probably it was both [antisemitic and anti-Zionist]. We have seen what ‘Free Palestine’ can lead to, what calls for the globalization of the Intifada can lead to. We saw it in the horrific murders of Yaron and Sarah in DC. I had the honor to go to the Shiva of Yaron and give our condolences on behalf of the European Commission. It starts with words, but it doesn’t stop there. It can end in horrific hate crimes. And so we have to be very aware of what we say.”
However, the line in Europe has been crossed beyond rhetoric, as La Repubblica reported last week on a Roman mural created by an anonymous artist depicting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Hitler kissing, titled “the Final Solution.” At this reference, Schnurbein exhales deeply.
Q: Concerning the artificial line that you’ve mentioned, and following your recent visit to Yad Vashem, what do you have to say about that?
“Criticism of the government of Israel is possible, but this comparison is a conflation of the past that is simply dangerous. It’s certainly antisemitic and anti-Zionist at the same time. Holocaust distortion is a very prevalent way of masking antisemitism. There, we have to be very clear, in particular as Europeans. The Holocaust happened before Israel was established. It happened the way it did because there was no Israel. It also happened at a time when there were no Muslims in Europe. It’s important to remember that because the conflation that is happening now is trying to rid us of our responsibility,” she emphasized.
“It’s a slippery slope if we don’t look at the facts anymore and make up our own history. As part of the work in the European Commission, we work very actively with the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance and with Yad Vashem to create a network of places where the Holocaust happened. There are 44,000 identified places beyond the extermination sites, places where Jews might have been hidden, their escape routes, roundup places, and the train stations. We want to make sure, since we have fewer survivors with us who can give us the real testimony, that these places become the testimonials,” Schnurbein detailed.
“That’s why the new audiovisual experience in Yad Vashem is very important, because it shows us what we lost. We have to remember how diverse and integrated Jewish life was in Europe before the Shoah. So, we need to safeguard the places and engage in remembrance, and also learn about Jewish life and culture. That’s also why our strategy has both aspects,” she continued.
Q: Recently, Ralph País, the co-founder of the Jewish Information Documentation Center in Belgium, said in response to the antisemitic incidents in the country that there is a “legitimacy to hurt Jews” today. What do you have to say to that statement?
“There has indeed been a shift to blame the Jews in Europe for what is happening in Israel. And what is happening here is reported in a very limited, one-sided way often, I have to say. And this has led indeed to a situation where Jews don’t feel safe, and it’s our responsibility as authorities that Jews feel safe and that they can go about their lives in line with their religious and cultural traditions. This must be our ultimate aim,” she declared.
“If you see that a group of people does not feel safe anymore, it means something about democracy. And therefore, we have to ensure that our democratic values, on which the EU is based, are upheld. The conspiracy theories are an example of the direct link to the threat to democracy. If you think that some ominous Jewish group directs our countries rather than elected governments, your trust in democracy is rather low. This demonstrates why antisemitism is often called the canary in the coal mine – it signals something bigger is going on,” Schnurbein observed.
“Hate speech is not free speech”
Q: You mentioned the horrific murder of the two diplomats in Washington, and now Israel has issued a warning for Canadian Jews and Israelis traveling to Canada due to terror threats. What do you do to prevent that from happening in EU member states?
“Since 2021, we have had the EU strategy on combating antisemitism and fostering Jewish life, with security as a prerequisite for Jewish life. This has led to a lot of upscaling of security measures on a national level, but the EU also initiated projects and supported Jewish communities financially. The awareness has increased significantly among member states. 24 countries now have national strategies where security is a key aspect. We also made sure that we addressed antisemitism online,” she detailed.
“It’s the number one entry door into antisemitism, so it’s something that we are addressing by law. We have the Digital Services Act, the first region in the world that gives a legal framework for how platforms can operate. This means that very large platforms, those that have more than 45 million users, have to disclose their algorithms to the Commission. In essence, they have to show how their business model does not threaten democracy,” Schnurbein stated.
“The authorities then examine it, and they have to tell us how they want to mitigate any potential threats. They have to establish better address mechanisms, they have to better explain when something is not taken down. This legislation came into place very recently, so we’re at the very start of the process. At the moment, as a user, you do not see the change, but we are working with big tech to ensure that in Europe, we are clear – hate speech is not free speech, and social media platforms have to take responsibility in that sense. Once it is implemented, it will have to be implemented in all EU member states,” she elaborated.
“We are also building a network of organizations – trusted flaggers, fact-checkers that can detect antisemitic and discern antisemitic content. There are always grey areas, but mostly it’s quite clear whether it’s illegal or not, and requires taking that content down, or it’s ‘lawful but awful,’ so not necessarily illegal. This is something we want to build in all EU languages and also non-EU languages that transport antisemitic content into the EU,” she concluded regarding digital measures.
Yet beyond combating the viral spread of antisemitic content among younger demographics and across social media platforms, physical protection for European Jewish communities remains critically essential, addressed both at the EU level and by individual member states.
“Just recently, on Lag BaOmer, I was at a gathering of Jewish scouts in Belgium. It was a major event. In order to make sure they can feel safe, there were police at the entrances. This is just a concrete example,” she shared. “Obviously, it would be much better if this were not necessary, but at the moment, it is. The state is responsible for doing what it takes to make sure its citizens are safe,” she illustrated.
“Just after Oct. 7, we made 5 million Euros available to the Jewish communities for security. But the main funding comes, of course, from the national level. I visited a mayor the other day of a big European capital, and he said, ‘I know there is this Israeli restaurant, and they unfortunately have graffiti drawn almost every night,’ and they have my mobile number. If something happens, they text me and I send somebody to clean it up. These things, of course, are not reported in the press, but a lot is being done for security,” Schnurbein revealed.
Q: Antisemitism is not a phenomenon that just occurred overnight, you said so yourself. How has October 7 influenced antisemitism in Europe based on what you saw and what you know since assuming your role?
“To be precise, antisemitism has been there for 2,000 years. So we also have to be realistic about what such a strategy can do in three years. But on October 7th and the week after, we’ve seen a surge in antisemitic incidents, mainly in Western Europe. In some cases, it remained at a high level. In other cases, it went down and stabilized at a higher level than it was before,” she assessed.
“And that concerns attacks against venues, or desecration of cemeteries, graffiti, attacks against people, although thankfully, in Europe so far, it’s not been as bad as we saw it in Washington,” she added.
Q: You’ve mentioned the Islamic community in Europe previously. Do you think there’s a link between the rise of Islamist extremism and antisemitism in Europe today?
“I think there’s a link between extremism in general and the rise of antisemitism. We have seen a significant rise of the far right, of the far left, and also of Muslim extremism. Extremists agree on very little, but hatred is a common denominator. I prefer to distinguish between democrats and extremists, wherever they come from. And we cannot tolerate extremism. In the European Commission, we have a whole team that works on preventing and addressing extremism and radicalization. I work with them in close contact,” Schnurbein concluded.
