Sacks warns of Jewish exodus from Europe
LORD SACKS has warned of the prospect of Europe becoming “judenrein” — “free of Jews” — urging European leaders to prevent the exodus “now, while there is still time”.
The emeritus Chief Rabbi said: “In every single country of Europe, without exception, Jews are fearful for their or their children’s future.
“If this continues, Jews will continue to leave Europe, until, barring the frail and the elderly, Europe will finally have become
Lord Sacks made the comments on Tuesday in an address to a conference, entitled “The Future of the Jewish Communities in Europe”, at the European Parliament in Strasbourg.
He urged Europeans not to think of this as simply a Jewish issue, referring to the appearance of antisemitism in a national culture as being: “The first symptom of a disease, the early warning sign of collective breakdown.”
Painting a grim vision of the future, he warned: “If Europe allows antisemitism to flourish, that will be the beginning of the end of Europe.
“We make a great mistake if we think antisemitism is a threat only to Jews.
“It is a threat, first and foremost, to Europe and to the freedoms it took centuries to achieve.”
Lord Sacks said contemporary antisemitism was being expressed as antiZionism.
He explained: “Antisemitism means denying the right of Jews to exist as Jews with the same rights as everyone else. The form this takes today is antiZionism.”
He stressed the perilous consequences of antisemitism in Europe, telling the conference: “If Europe lets itself be dragged down that road again, this will be the story told in times to come.
“First they came for the Jews. Then for the Christians. Then for the gays. Then for the atheists. Until there was nothing left of Europe’s soul but a distant, fading memory. You know where the road ends. Don’t go down there again. You are the leaders of Europe. Its future is in your hands.
“If you do nothing, Jews will leave, European liberty will die, and there will be a moral stain on Europe’s name that all eternity will not erase.”
The conference, hosted by Martin Schulz, president of the Europen Parliament, was attended by MEPs and prominent European figures, including Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt, president of the Conference of European Rabbis, and the French-Jewish philosopher B e r n a r d H e n r i - Levy.