European rabbis unveil 7-point plan to combat ‘infrastructure of hatred’

The Conference of European Rabbis (CER) presented a 7-point program in Brussels on Friday, calling on European governments, religious leaders and civic authorities to move beyond protecting Jewish institutions and take stronger action against the networks and radicalization fueling increasingly violent Jew-hatred across the continent.

Titled “A Call to End the Violent Hatred,” the program urges European authorities to address foreign funding of terrorism, extremist networks, religious radicalization and hate marches, while strengthening oversight and education to prevent extremist violence.

CER President Chief Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt warned European leaders against what he called a persistent “infrastructure of hatred” in Europe. Jewish institutions and synagogues across Western Europe have for years been protected by guards and physical barriers, but Goldschmidt argued that security measures alone are no longer sufficient.

“This is not a string of isolated incidents. It is an infrastructure of hatred, built on extremist organizations, foreign funding, radical institutions, and the digital world,” Goldschmidt explained in an interview with the Jewish Chronicle news outlet.

“Europe’s answer cannot be another statement of grave concern. Nor can it be higher fences,” he argued. “Almost every Jewish school and synagogue in Europe now sits behind guards, steel barriers, concrete blocks."

“Today the warnings are written in blood and fire,” Goldschmidt warned.

The call comes as anti-Jewish and anti-Israel incidents have soared across Europe following the Hamas Oct. 7, 2023, massacre. In some European countries, the threat against Jewish communities has become so severe that regular police forces are no longer considered sufficient to protect Jewish sites.

Belgian authorities decided in March to deploy military troops to secure Jewish sites in the country.

“The safety of every citizen must be guaranteed,” Belgian Defense Minister Theo Francken stated at the time, emphasizing that “antisemitism and hatred against Jews will never be tolerated.”

The security concerns have been accompanied by a series of violent attacks across Europe. In March, four Jewish community ambulances were torched in an antisemitic attack in the London neighborhood of Golders Green, which has a large Jewish population. London police later arrested two suspects.

Earlier this year, an explosive attack targeted a synagogue in the Belgian city of Liège. During the same period, there were also arson attacks, including an antisemitic attack on a Jewish school in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

In October 2025, an Islamist terrorist of Syrian origin murdered two Jews at a Manchester synagogue during Yom Kippur services.

Against this backdrop, the CER program calls on European authorities to step up efforts against foreign funding of terrorism, extremist networks and hate marches across the continent.

The organization specifically mentioned Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the elite force of the Iranian regime, which has been tasked with carrying out terrorist attacks against Jews, Israelis and political dissidents in Europe and across the West. The Tehran regime has also reportedly used criminal networks to target Jews across the continent.

The program also calls on European countries to certify and educate foreign-born religious leaders about European values, including democratic rights and responsibilities. It urges authorities to deny visas and licenses to religious leaders who encourage hatred or terrorism and to prevent funding from reaching extremist organizations.

In addition, the plan calls for greater oversight of religious institutions and training for community officials to help identify and prevent extremist violence. It also advocates zero tolerance for hatred against Jews and other groups in public spaces.

In February, the Israeli Ministry for Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism released a report showing that Muslim Brotherhood-linked networks fueled hatred across Europe.