Young Jewish Europeans: Perceptions and Experiences of Antisemitism Europe Direct Is a Service to Help You Find Answers to Your Questions About the European Union
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Young Jewish Europeans: perceptions and experiences of antisemitism Europe Direct is a service to help you find answers to your questions about the European Union Freephone number (*): 00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11 (*) The information given is free, as are most calls (though some operators, phone boxes or hotels may charge you). Photos: AdobeStock: ©Sebastian Angborn; ©Sergey Nivens; ©ArTo; ©REDPIXEL; ©Joshua Haviv; Pixabay: ©WaSZI; ©restaurandocoracoes; ©EUJS More information on the European Union is available on the internet (http://europa.eu). Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union, 2019 Print ISBN 978-92-9474-619-1 doi:10.2811/339443 TK-01-19-380-EN-C PDF ISBN 978-92-9474-620-7 doi:10.2811/636318 TK-01-19-380-EN-N © European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights, 2019 The European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) commissioned the Institute for Jewish Policy Research to write this report following a request from the European Commission. The information and views set out in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official opinion of FRA or the European Commission. The European Commission and FRA do not guarantee the accuracy of the data presented in this report. Reproduction is authorised provided the source is acknowledged. For any use or reproduction of photos or other material that is not under FRA’s copyright, permission must be sought directly from the copyright holders. Young Jewish Europeans: perceptions and experiences of antisemitism Preface Jewish life has been an intrinsic part of Europe for many centuries and, tragically, so has Jew-hatred. In recent years, antisemitism has been on the rise once again. When looking into how Jewish Europeans see their future in Europe in the current climate, the obvious people to ask are the young. This report is a direct result of our fruitful dialogue with the youth and their organisations such as the European Union of Jewish Students. It presents the experiences and perceptions of antisemitism of young Jewish Europeans and helps us as policy makers to understand the challenges faced by them in Europe today. This report sheds light on the fact that young Jewish Europeans are more exposed to antisemitic incidents than their elders. But it also shows their strong Jewish identity and their resilience. I want to ensure that Jews in Europe can continue to express their identity freely and feel safe in their daily life. The European Commission is determined to respond to the rising challenge of antisemitism and mobilise the European Parliament and the Member States to take action. The recent Council Declaration on Antisemitism is an important commitment by all EU Member States to fight antisemitism in all its forms and to protect Jewish communities. Yet, this report shows that more needs to be done. I trust that the expert working group on antisemitism will produce tangible results on the ground and ensure that the Jewish community – young and old – thrive and see their future in Europe! Pushing back on antisemitic prejudices means standing up for our democracy and for an open, diverse society. This is the Europe in which we all want to live! Věra Jourová European Commissioner for Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality 2 Foreword What is the future of Jewish life in Europe? This report, which relays the experiences and perceptions of Jewish Europeans between the ages of 16 and 34, provides reasons for concern. The continent’s Jewish population has long been in demographic decline. But that decline is at risk of accelerating. Among the over 2,700 young people who participated in the EU Fundamental Rights Agency’s second large-scale survey on Jewish people’s experiences, 4 out of 10 say they have considered emigrating because they do not feel safe as Jews. This is deeply troubling – though not completely surprising in light of many of their experiences across the EU. Just over 80 % of the young Jews surveyed say that antisemitism is a problem in their country, and believe it has grown in the past five years. They see the internet and social media as particularly hostile environments – but face problems in public places, too. The young Jews surveyed indicated encountering harassment at higher rates than older generations: 44 % say they were targeted at least once in the year before the survey. Yet startlingly few report such incidents, with 80 % opting not to do so. To protect themselves, many avoid wearing or carrying items that may identify them as Jewish. These findings make for grim reading. We must fight antisemitism more effectively by tackling it at its roots, no matter how difficult that is. Both educational and criminal law measures can play an important role. We hope this report encourages policymakers to intensify their efforts in these areas. Michael O’Flaherty Director of the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights 3 Contents PREFACE ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 2 FOREWORD ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 3 INTRODUCTION AND KEY FINDINGS ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 7 1 WHO ARE YOUNG JEWISH EUROPEANS? ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 9 1.1. National and European attachments �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 9 1.2. Jewish attachments ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 11 2 DEFINING ANTISEMITISM AND UNDERSTANDING THE PLACE OF ISRAEL IN IT ������������������������������������17 2.1. What is antisemitism? �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������17 2.2. The place of Israel in the lives and identities of young Jewish Europeans ���������������������������������18 2.3. When attitudes towards Israel become antisemitic ��������������������������������������������������������������������18 3 PERCEPTIONS AND EXPERIENCES OF ANTISEMITISM AMONG YOUNG JEWISH EUROPEANS ������������� 21 3.1. Perceptions of antisemitism ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������21 3.2. Experiences of antisemitism ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 24 3.3. Reporting �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 27 4 LIVING WITH FEAR AND THE NEED FOR EFFECTIVE GOVERNMENT ACTION ����������������������������������������31 4.1. Indicators of anxiety ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������31 4.2. Is enough being done to combat antisemitism? ������������������������������������������������������������������������� 34 ANNEX ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 37 Figures and tables Figure 1: Birthplaces of Jewish Europeans, by age band (%) ....................................................................... 10 Figure 2: Birthplaces of respondents’ mothers, by age band (%) .............................................................. 10 Figure 3: Proportions of Jewish Europeans in three age bands with strong attachments to their country, region, the European Union and Israel (%) ............................................................. 11 Figure 4: High/complete levels of trust in national and European institutions among Jewish Europeans, by age band (%) ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 12 Figure 5: Strength of Jewish identity of Jewish Europeans, by age band (%) ........................................... 13 Figure 6: Degree of religiosity of Jewish Europeans, by age band (%) ..................................................... 13 Figure 7: Jewish practices of Jewish Europeans, by age band .................................................................... 14 Figure 8: Importance of different elements of Jewishness to respondents’ Jewish identities, by age band (%) .................................................................................................................................. 15 Figure 9: Comparison between the Jewish identification patterns of young Jewish Europeans during their upbringing and the present (%) �������������������������������������������������������������� 15 Figure 10: Proportions of Jewish Europeans thinking particular statements are either ‘definitely’ or ‘probably’ antisemitic, by age band (%) ................................................................ 16 Figure 11: Connections of Jewish Europeans to Israel, by age band (%) ..................................................... 18 Figure 12: Extent to which the Arab-Israel conflict affects how safe Jewish Europeans feel as Jews living in Europe, by age band (%) ........................................................................................... 19 Figure 13: Extent to which Jewish Europeans report that people in their countries accuse or blame them for anything done