At the first pan-European Limmud FSU (former Soviet Union) conference, which opened in Windsor, England last week, Jewish leaders from around the world reacted to a report released earlier this week by the Community Security Trust showing anti-Semitic hate crime is at a record high in the UK.

�We�re all aware of the record number of anti-Semitic attacks that have been reported across the U.K.,� said Limmud FSU International Steering Committee Chairman Matthew Bronfman, who is an American businessman and philanthropist. �What are we doing about it? We�re gathering here, just outside of London � the UK�s largest Jewish community and place with the highest incidence of anti-Semitic hate crimes � to show the world who we are and why we�re important. Studying and learning and expressing our Judaism is how we fight this.�

�There is less anti-Semitism in Azerbaijan or Kazakhstan than there is in Europe right now,� said Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations Executive Vice Chairman Malcolm Hoenlein. �What did the Jews do wrong? It�s not what we did wrong; it�s what we did right. We are a strong and unified people � both in Europe and around the world � and the unity of the Jewish people will cause this resurgence of anti-Semitism to melt away.�

�There is more anti-Semitism in London than in any other European city. It�s shameful,� said Limmud FSU Founder Chaim Chesler. �We�re here in the UK to show that we are ready to fight back. Unlike on the eve of WWII, we will not be silent.�

Photo: Limmud FSU Founder Chaim Chesler speaking about the rise of anti-Semitism in the U.K. at Limmud FSU Europe.

(YWN � Israel Desk, Jerusalem / Photo Credit: Ekaterina Nikitina)