President Macron's words demonstrate a growing awareness of this scourge at the highest levels of government and a determination to take a stand. So why is it that despite such admirable statements I feel a disheartening and wearying déjà vu?
After an 18-year increase in antisemitic hate crimes, it appears that some political leaders have come to the realization it is the symptom of a troubled country, of a deep-rooted democratic crisis. However, the fundamental question now facing us is what should be done?
Since antisemitism is symptomatic of a greater societal malaise, it should be made clear that antisemitism is not a "Jewish" problem, but a hatred that eats away at the foundations of our society. In this fight, nothing less than the future of an open, liberal, Europe is at stake.
Is the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel antisemitic? Not everybody seems to understand that when the world’s only Jewish state is singled out for de-legitimisation and worse, we are dealing with the latest mutation of the world’s perhaps oldest hatred.