Politico, June 20, 2022

As Sweden prepares to host this week’s meeting of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), I find myself grappling daily with how anti-Semitism still thrives, some eight decades after the end of World War II.  

I routinely think about this ongoing enigma as part of my work but also in a more personal context, as the grandchild of Holocaust survivors.  

What may not be immediately obvious is that contemporary anti-Semitism should be a grave concern not only to Jews, whom it most immediately and directly impacts, but to those outside the Jewish community as well.  

While it denotes hatred of the Jewish people, anti-Semitism actually threatens all societies and is an indicator of wider problems. As the world’s “oldest hatred,” it exposes the failings in each society, and though Jews are often the first group to be scapegoated, unfortunately, they are not the last. History has shown us, time and again, that hateful discourse initially targeting Jews soon broadens to other members of society.

Following the deadly terror attack that took place in the city of Elad in central Israel, on 5.5.2022, the Central Board of Jewish Communities in Greece sent the following message of condolences to the Ambassador of Israel to Greece, Mr. Yossi Amrani.

“We are shocked and devastated by the news about the recent terror attack in Elad which caused the death of three Israeli citizens, during Israel’s Independence Day.

In deep sorrow the Greek Jewry joins the mourning for the loss of innocent lives. We also express our sincere condolences to the families of the victims. 

Once again, we support the struggle of the State of Israel against terrorism that threatens the well-being of its people and we join our voice with the appeals to fight hatred and fanaticism, stressing that the hecatombs of the victims of terrorism undermine efforts to achieve peace in the Middle East”.

The Central Board of Jewish Communities in Greece expresses its repugnance, its grief and concern for yesterday’s terror attack with at least two dead and more than 10 wounded, in a crowded street in the center of Tel Aviv. It was the fourth terror attack in the last two weeks.

The Greek Jewry, in deep sorrow, joins the mourning for the dead, wishes speedy recovery to the wounded and stands by the Israeli society during the escalation of the deadly attacks of the Islamic extremism.

We support the struggle of the State of Israel against terrorism that threatens the well-being of its people. Our voice joins the appeals to fight hatred and fanaticism, stressing once more that the hecatombs of the victims of terrorism undermine efforts to achieve peace in the Middle East.

Athens, April 8, 2022

Central Board of Jewish Communities in Greece