Chief Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt marks two years since October 7 with a searing call for Europe to confront antisemitism and defend Israel’s right to exist.
As Israel and the Jewish world commemorate two years since the October 7, 2023 Hamas massacre, Chief Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt, President of the Conference of European Rabbis, issued a solemn and forceful warning about the resurgence of antisemitism sweeping through Europe.
“Two years on, our pain has not faded,” Rabbi Goldschmidt declared. “Twelve hundred innocent men, women, and children were slaughtered in cold blood by marauding terrorists from Gaza. Entire communities were burned alive, families destroyed, and a music festival transformed into a killing field.”
He emphasized that Israel’s fight for survival continues, with 48 hostages still held in Gaza’s terror tunnels, even as much of the international community “turns its gaze away.”
Rabbi Goldschmidt lamented the moral blindness of a world quick to judge Israel’s self-defense but silent about terror. “Terrorists who attacked Jewish communities in Europe are glorified,” he said. “Across Europe, synagogues are under armed guard, Jewish schools stand behind barricades, and Jews once again live in fear of their neighbors.”
Referencing the recent Manchester synagogue attack on Yom Kippur, he described it as a chilling reminder that Jewish blood is once again being spilled on European soil—and that lessons from history are being ignored.
“The world must stop excusing terror,” he urged. “It must defend Israel’s right to exist, to protect its people, and to bring home the hostages. European governments must act decisively to crush home-grown extremism before more innocent lives are lost.”
Rabbi Goldschmidt warned that Europe’s moral credibility is on the line: “True peace and democracy will only return when Jews no longer need protection from their own neighbors.”
In a striking conclusion, he declared: “Our prayers remain with the bereaved families of October 7. Our faith remains unbroken. But our patience with the world’s inversions has run out.”
The Chief Rabbi’s message reverberates as both a moral reckoning and a rallying cry—reminding Europe that defending Israel and fighting antisemitism are inseparable battles for the soul of Western civilization.
