As Israelis living all across Europe, we cannot detach ourselves from our nation’s history, in some places, even for one day, whether it is a daily walk down the street where we come across a Stolpersetin, a walk in front of a Holocaust memorial monument or a conversation with friends where the topic comes up. Many Israelis around Europe are looking for different ways to commemorate the Holocaust and address the questions it raised for Israelis living abroad.

As Israelis living abroad, we might encounter antisemitism differently than how we would face or learn about it if we lived in Israel. Recognising this, we consider it vital to equip Israelis with the knowledge and tools to identify and combat antisemitism effectively. Therefore, our primary goal for the upcoming years is to provide sufficient knowledge about antisemitism, recognise its manifestations, and empower our community with the means to stand against it.

We see the combination of the two topics unseparated. As part of the guidelines and values of ICE, we take responsibility for the remembrance of the Holocaust in various ways from the beginning of our activity in 2017.

In 2023 the organization established the Holocaust Remembrance and Combating Antisemitism department. The department will engage in deepening the knowledge of Israelis about anti-Semitism in its many contemporary forms, will provide tools to deal with them and will initiate new projects and initiatives to combat anti-Semitism that will grow from the ground, by the Israeli community in Europe.

October 7, 2023, beyond being the day on which the “Black Sabbath” happened and the date that symbolizes the outbreak of the Iron Swords War in Israel, also marks the drastic increase in anti-Semitic events around the world. Following the alarming increase in anti-Semitic incidents, we see as of utmost importance the urgent need to increase our efforts to combat any type of anti-Semitism, hatred and discrimination against Israelis and Jews to ensure a safe and equal future for all.