EU ambassador hosts diplomats at 'Ghetto Fighters' Holocaust museum in Israel, warns of rising antisemitism

European Union Ambassador to Israel Michael Mann led a delegation of ambassadors and diplomats from EU countries for a visit to the Ghetto Fighters’ House Museum in northern Israel last Wednesday ahead of International Holocaust Remembrance Day on Jan. 27.

The European diplomats were introduced to exhibitions that documented Jewish fighters who fought against the Nazis, as well as Jewish communities that were destroyed in Europe during World War II.

“We felt it was vital to come here together,” Mann said following the tour of the museum, while emphasizing the importance of preserving the memory of the Holocaust amid the rise in global antisemitism.

“Preserving the memory of the Holocaust and educating future generations is not only a moral duty toward the victims, for the European Union, it is a central pillar in the ongoing struggle against antisemitism and hatred,” Mann stated.

Anti-Jewish and anti-Israel incidents have surged worldwide, including across Europe, following the Hamas attack in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

Yigal Cohen, director-general of the Ghetto Fighters’ House Museum, hailed the visit of European diplomats to Israel.

“The presence of ambassadors and diplomats from across Europe is a strong statement about the global importance of Holocaust remembrance,” Cohen said.

“This is a place where memory meets stories of resistance, human spirit and courage. At a time when antisemitism is again on the rise, our shared responsibility is not only to remember, but to act, to educate and to pass on values of morality and equality.”

The delegation and museum staff discussed ways to combat antisemitism, with participants emphasizing the need to educate younger generations about the Holocaust and its universal lessons on the dangers of lethal hatred.

The Greek ambassador informed the delegates about plans to construct a new Holocaust memorial in the city of Thessaloniki. Approximately 90% of Thessaloniki’s Jews were murdered by the Nazis during the Holocaust.

The ambassador from Lithuania spoke about the opening of a new “Shtetl Museum” which celebrates Jewish life. Around 95% of the local Jewish population in Lithuania was murdered during the Holocaust.

Relations between the EU and Israel have generally been strong in terms of scientific, commercial, cultural and academic cooperation. However, the organization and some member states condemned Israel’s military operations against Hamas in Gaza.

Last month, the new EU envoy to Israel stressed the importance for European diplomats to experience Israel not through negative media headlines but through direct experience in the Jewish state.

“You can read reports, but being here, speaking to people, feeling the atmosphere – it’s completely different,” Mann said. While expressing the EU’s support for the two-state solution, Mann said the current situation post-Oct. 7 has made this vision difficult to implement for now.

“We are not naive,” he said. “A Palestinian state is for the future – not tomorrow. But long-term, it is the only realistic resolution,” he continued. Mann added that the rise in antisemitism across Europe has been “shocking” and said he views himself as a bridge between Israel and Europe.