The new Europe

Is a developing trend going unnoticed? Insight and takeaways from European conferences

In recent weeks, I have spoken at several conferences in Germany Finland and Norway. I was invited to speak in my role as the founder of the Lev HaOlam organization, which has been fighting for many years against the international boycott of Israel as a whole, and of Judea and Samaria in particular.

On a personal level, I feel these public lectures facilitate a direct connection with Europeans and help us move past the preconceived notions that come from watching news coverage biased toward the other side. However, this particular trip to Europe was even more special than usual.

I will begin by noting that more than 500 people attended the first conference in Germany. A similar number came to other conferences throughout Germany, Finland and Norway. All of the venues were fully packed. It was clear that Europeans today are much more interested in our story and a large portion even expressed open support.

The German Police secured the conference in the city of Schaumburg due to fears that anti-Israel activists would attempt to disrupt it. The conference took place in city hall with a large Israeli flag flying outside. Above the flag was the symbol of the State of Israel, and tables in the hall showcased an array of products from Israel.

In my conversations with local residents, many expressed concern over Germany’s situation in regard to the waves of migrants and about the number of anti-Israel activists in their country. Despite these issues, they emphasized the solidarity and appreciation for Israel that exists within their communities.

I was pleased during the various conferences to be met with an audience that expressed interest and a sincere desire to learn. This sincerity is, in my eyes, what allowed them to understand the truth of our situation and what daily life here in Israel is really like.

In my lectures, I began by telling the history of Judea and Samaria, as well as the history of the entire land of Israel. I continued by explaining the current situation on the ground. Several attendees, who had previously only heard about Israel on their local news, were exposed for the first time to the true reality of residents in Judea and Samaria: the constant fear of terror and the signs that warn Israelis of “danger to their lives” should they enter Palestinian villages. At the same time, they also heard about our unwillingness to live in fear and the growth story of small businesses and producers in Judea and Samaria despite the boycott and threats of terrorism.

The attendees learned to their surprise that the German government – along with other European governments – transfers huge sums of money to anti-Israel non-governmental organizations and to the Palestinian Authority. The PA in turn uses this money to provide stipends to terrorists sitting in Israeli jails for having murdered Jews. The attendees learned for the first time about the European-sponsored NGOs that spread lies about Israel. They discovered that so-called “human rights groups” often act in ways that explicitly violate human rights. THEY ALSO heard about the stances of the United Nations and European Union on communities of Jewish pioneers in Judea and Samaria. I explained to them, “It is not by chance that the EU and the UN specifically oppose Jewish communities in Judea, Samaria and Jerusalem, claiming that these regions are not Jewish land. There is a spiritual battle that is deep-rooted and represents the core of the issue. The ultimate goal is to break the historic connection between the Jewish people and these regions. This is the heartland of Israel, this is the core. The majority of the stories of the Bible happened here.”

It was simple, straight, sincere and without unnecessary apologetics. So too was the feedback I received from the audience after the conferences. I saw the contrasting movements taking place among European citizens. On the one hand, the false narrative has become “trendy” and receives much attention and headlines while the truth is pushed aside. On the other, as the number of Israel-haters increases, those who support Israel feel more and more of a need to stand up and do something to show their support.

After the conferences I received numerous requests to remain in touch. Many Europeans want to leave the current state of complacency and do more for Israel against the incitement and demonization that we face. Through this cooperation the sky is the limit. These supporters will be “ambassadors for truth,” acting on our behalf – even in Europe.

They will join us as part of the Lev HaOlam organization, a grassroots movement aimed at fighting the global boycott, divestment and sanctions movement (BDS) against Israel. Violent and aggressive anti-Israel activists demand that products from Judea and Samaria be removed from grocery store shelves around the world. The producers in Judea and Samaria feel the damage done by the boycotters when the stores finally capitulate and remove these products.

Our idea is to “bypass” the boycott by marketing the products directly to citizens in Europe, America, Asia and Africa, and even in Australia and New Zealand. In particular, we focus on those who already support Israel and the Jewish pioneers in Judea and Samaria. These citizens represent a large fragment of the population, but their voices are often drowned out by the loud screams of the boycott activists. Our goal is to organize these Israel supporters and call on them to act. They recognize the falsity of the narrative being spread by the Palestinians and are tired of the world’s hypocrisy. We provide them with a way to express their ideals in actions by ordering monthly packages with products from Judea, Samaria and other parts of Israel delivered straight to their homes.

As part of our efforts, we also offer tours to groups visiting Israel from abroad. In these tours we take them throughout Judea and Samaria and show them the history of the region. During the tours they also have the opportunity to see the facts on the ground with their own eyes. The experience from the tour stays with them long after they return home and they quickly come to realize the vast difference between the story being told on their television and the true situation on the ground.

Recently, I guided a group from Holland. We visited small businesses in Judea and Samaria and then continued to Hebron where we saw the Cave of the Patriarchs, the Jewish Museum and Beit Hadassah. During the tour we happened upon another group of visitors from Europe: members of TIPH (Temporary International Presence in Hebron) who act as “observers” in Hebron. Members of our group invited the TIPH representatives to come join our tour and at least hear what our side has to say. The TIPH representatives (of course) refused to even hear us out. TIPH is funded by several European countries and deals exclusively with the Arab narrative. TIPH representatives have a history of taking anti-Israel positions and have in the past even attacked Israeli soldiers at checkpoints. Israel’s poor relationship with Europeans is in my opinion due to our lack of resources and efforts toward educating those in Europe.

However, we have a unique opportunity today, as there exists a deep solidarity in Europe with the Israeli people, and every day growing numbers of Europeans identify with Israel. The time has come to invest and strengthen our outreach efforts in Europe and throughout the world. Failing to do so means allowing the BDS to further spread its lies, allowing the demonization to continue and God forbid, even grow.

The writer is an attorney and the founder of Lev HaOlam.