NEW YORK – The World Jewish Congress has strongly condemned the desecration of a Holocaust memorial in the northern Greek town of Kastoria, less than two weeks after a separate monument in Thessaloniki was vandalized for the fourth time this year.
“The World Jewish Congress stands with the Jewish community in Greece in expressing our deep concern and condemnation over the desecration of a monument memorializing innocent Jews who were sent by the Nazis to their deaths in Auschwitz,” said WJC CEO and Executive Vice President Robert Singer.
“Over the last year alone, we have found ourselves repeatedly condemning such despicable acts of antisemitism on countless occasions. Condemnation from the Jewish community, or from organizations like the World Jewish Congress, are not sufficient,” Singer said. “There is an epidemic of antisemitism sweeping across Europe right now, and it must be made clear by authorities on every level that this cannot and will not be tolerated.”
“Earlier this month, the European Union issued an unprecedented declaration on fighting antisemitism and securing Jewish communities. Days after that, the EU released a concerning report that showed that more than one-third of European Jews had considered emigrating and that more than 40 percent feared for their physical safety,” Singer said. “It is imperative that we see action, and not just words, being taken to stop this frightening phenomenon at once. There is no place in European society for antisemitism.”
