AJC is at the forefront of the fight against the resurgence of antisemitism in Europe. Within living memory of the Holocaust, the Europe’s Jewish communities have endured a steep rise in antisemitic terrorism, including physical attacks and murders. Since 2012 alone, at least 22 people have been killed in anti-Jewish violence in the EU. Not surprisingly, the emigration of European Jews to Israel and the U.S. has also increased significantly.
AJC’s Contributions to the First EU Strategy on Combating Antisemitism and Fostering Jewish Life
In October 2021, the EU released its first strategy on combating antisemitism and fostering Jewish life. During the consultation stage, AJC advocated for key elements such as the need for EU member states to adopt the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism and a financial contribution from the EU for Jewish security needs, which were later included in the strategy. Furthermore, AJC’s suggestions of making the fight against antisemitism part of EU foreign policy and educating the public about Europe’s rich Jewish heritage were included in the strategy. TAI is in regular contact with the EU Commission Coordinator on Combating Antisemitism and Fostering Jewish Life about the implementation of the strategy and also advocates for individual EU Member States to be proactively involved in the fight against antisemitism. As of July 2025, 23 of the EU’s 27 Member States have adopted their own national strategies on combating antisemitism and both the European Parliament and the Council of the EU have endorsed the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism.
After October 7, TAI’s work on raising awareness about and combating antisemitism became more urgent than ever, and AJC’s longstanding advocacy showed clear results. By December 2023, the EU allocated an additional €5 million to projects protecting Jewish communities, recognizing the unprecedented threat antisemitism posed to them. This outcome reflected TAI’s sustained efforts over the years to educate key decision-makers about the dangers antisemitism presents—not only to the Jewish community but to Europe as a whole.
Keeping Holocaust Remembrance Alive
Each year TAI, together with the Mission of Israel to the EU and NATO and the Konrad Adenauer Foundation (affiliated with the German Christian Democratic Party), organizes its annual Holocaust Remembrance Commemoration. Eighty years after the Holocaust, as the last survivors are passing away, this occasion has become more important than ever. In previous years, speakers at the event have included Yad Vashem Chair Dani Dayan and Belgian MP Vivianne Teitelbaum. Usually attracting an audience of more than one hundred people, including many diplomats and politicians, the event goes beyond remembering the past: it highlights the ongoing necessity of combating antisemitism in the present.
