Jewish Agency: An 'Ugly Wave of anti-Semitism Is Sweeping Western Europe'
04-10-2018
The CEO and director general of The Jewish Agency for Israel, which helps Jews emigrate to Israel, says that after a wave of anti-Semitic incidents in Europe, "a very strong stream of Jews" is coming to Israel.
Alan Hoffmann says the nations of chief concern in Europe are Ukraine, Russia, Hungary, and France.
"In the past four or five years, there has been a very strong stream of Jews coming from Europe, particularly from France," Hoffmann said, "after a wave of anti-Semitic incidents, (and) a terrible terrorist attack in Toulouse at a Jewish school.
In the years following the attacks in France, 2015 and 2016, Hoffmann said "we saw close to 8-thousand Jews coming to Israel. That's 8,000 Jews out of a total population of 500,000. In one year, that's a very big percentage."
Hoffmann said it was extraordinary that the French rabbinical council announced that Jewish men do not have to wear their head coverings in public, a tradition for which many have been harassed and attacked in French streets.
Jews in Europe are saying "if this is what the future is going to look like, I don't think that this is what I would like to see for my children, and we see many many young people making a decision to leave," Hoffmann said.
The Jewish Agency has brought 4 million Jews to Israel and runs 17 absorption centers that teach immigrants Hebrew and help them acquire a trade or profession.
Hoffmann thanked Christians for their help, saying "One of the biggest assets for the state of Israel is the support of Christians around the world who believe in Israel and believe in the fulfillment of the biblical prophecy."
