Speech at the Interreligious Dialogue - “The future of the Jewish Communities in Europe”

Ladies and gentlemen,

Honoraries and excellencies,

I would like to thank you for participating in the sixth Interreligious Dialogue meeting, organised by the European Parliament. We have heard diverse contributions from our panellists and I am grateful that you all engaged in a fruitful discussion. The Interreligious Dialogue in its current format has become a true tradition of our house. This dialogue between religions in the face of today’s challenges is maybe more necessary than ever. Because you as religious representatives have a crucial role to play. You carry a huge responsibility. You help shape our core values, you help to promote them among our people and you help bridge divides in our societies.

This year we have met to discuss the future of the Jewish communities in Europe. If you know me only a little bit, then you know that this is a very dear topic to me. Because Jewish life is an essential part of our culture and our identity. Europe is not Europe without its Jewish heritage.

And Europe is not Europe without its Jewish citizens. For me as a post-war German it is a precious gift that today more than 100,000 Jewish people consider Germany their home again, that more than a million Jewish people consider Europe their home. After all the horrors of the first half of this century, this is not self-evident.

But we are well aware that this home is threatened. Recent figures are shocking:

When we see that every fifth Jew in Europe has experienced verbal or physical violence,

when these aggressions are getting more and more numerous,

and when we see that the Jewish population in Europe has decreased from almost four million in 1945 to barely more than one million today,

then we know that it is high time not only to make a clear political statement, but to take effective action as soon as possible. Europe has to be a better home for its Jewish citizens.

A very visible threat to our home is terrorism. The years 2015 and 2016 count among the most violent European years I have ever experienced: You all have followed the sheer endless news stream of horror: Over the last year alone fourteen terrorist attacks were carried out across Europe, more than 600 people lost their lives. These attacks were targeted at all of us, at our societies, at our way of life:

Cartoonists were killed because they are a symbol of free expression.

Policewomen and men were killed because they protect our free societies.

And sadly again, Jews were killed because they are Jews.

We have to stand strong and united against terrorism; it concerns all of us. But we have to make sure that we especially protect those who are a specific target for attacks, such as the Jewish community. Weapons and soldiers are not enough. We need a comprehensive approach, and notably we need better prevention on all fronts. And last but not least we need the strong commitment of our society as a whole.

Because our common home Europe is not only threatened by terrorists: Jews are still victims to all kinds of violence each single day. They are insulted as “dirty Jews” in the streets, in schools young children are spat at, and even sacred places such as cemeteries or synagogues are desecrated and smeared with hate speech. What has once been impermissible has again become imaginable.

This saddens and upsets me deeply. Seventy years after the biggest crime of humanity some of us still have not understood.

Some of us still have not understood that what makes us European is not our blood or religion but our strong adherence to our most fundamental values of tolerance, respect and liberty.

Some of us still have not understood that human dignity is the highest value we have enshrined in our constitutions.

And some of us still have not understood that the violation of only one person’s dignity is a violation of the humanity of all of us.

We can only have a zero tolerance stance against this behaviour. Because I believe what the philosopher Edmund Burke said, namely that “the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing”. We have to defend our European values more loudly. We have to accuse the misuse of Anti-Semitic propaganda for political goals. Each and every day we have to live these values, stand up for them when they are challenged. What we all need to understand is that inaction is no option.

Our message is clear: Jewish friends and neighbours, we stand with you against those who spread hatred. Europe is not Europe without its Jews. Europe is your home.

Together we will work hard to make our common home a safe place again, stand shoulder to shoulder against all kinds of violence, be it verbal or physical, whether it occurs on the internet or in the streets. Together we will build the house of Europe we want. And we all know the saying: he who builds a house wants to stay.

Dear participants, ladies and gentlemen,

with your exchanges over the last hours you have laid the first brick of this house. You have been able to exchange national best practices, and debate future perspectives. My wish is that your respective communities continue to support each other in tackling this important problem. That you stand up for one another like we have seen it in France after the attack on the church in Normandy, when a Jewish rabbi, Protestant and Roman Catholic ministers, a leader of the French Buddhist Union, a leader of the Greek Orthodox Church, and the French Council of The Muslim Faith came together to speak with the voice of unity and solidarity. Their message was clear:

Never again shall religion divide us as humans. Never again can religion be the excuse for the stigmatisation of a whole group of people. Never can religion justify violence.

Let me conclude with an unequivocal statement: We, European Christians, European Jews, European Muslims, European agnostics, European non-believers, we are all part of a society based on individual freedom, equality, rule of law and democracy. We will stand by each other against all threats and by doing so we will guarantee our common future as free Europeans in a free and open society.

Once more, I would like to thank you for your participation in this important conference.

Thank you very much for your attention.