Italy is the best country in Europe for Jewish life, according to a landmark new study.
Compared to its neighbours across the continent, it scores highly on communal security, the fight against antisemitism, and freedom of religion.
The UK came in joint third in the report commissioned by the European Jewish Association (EJA), behind Hungary and Italy and tied with Denmark and Austria.
Hailing Hungary’s second-place finish, Shomo Koves, the country’s Chief Rabbi, said: "This study uniquely combines various data that represents not just the level of antisemitic views among the population, but also the amount of violence against Jews.
“Over the past few years Hungarian Jews have felt the situation improve, and we are glad to see that the EJA study supports our feelings.
“Rigorous cooperation between the Jewish community and the Hungarian government in recent times has yielded immediate and direct improvements in security, including constitutional and legislative changes and a police focus on handling antisemitic incidents, among other measures.”
Taking the wooden spoon is Belgium, which in recent years has adopted a ban on kosher slaughter in two of its three regions and where the government has yet to appoint a national coordinator against antisemitism.
Holocaust survivor Regine Suchowolski-Sluszny, who serves as the President of Belgium’s Federation of Jewish Organisations, claimed many of her fellow citizens were ignorant of Jewish life.
She said: “Students don’t know what is really Israel or what is really a Jew.
“If it rains it is Israel’s fault. Israel has to give us more hasbara… doing it ourselves in Europe is not enough.”
In the UK, study author Dr Daniel Staetsky, a senior researcher at Jewish Policy Research, suggested greater financial support from the Government would help.
While the Home Office does provide a grant towards Jewish security administered by the CST, it does not buy physical security infrastructure, which is “expensive and difficult to maintain,” he added.
Dr Staetsky said that in order to solve antisemitism, “you need to define it well”.
The result was: “An index that is multifaceted… it’s not just about how non-Jews feel about Jews.”
The results were announced this week in Budapest at the EJA’s annual convention. Speaking at the launch, EJA Chairman Rabbi Menachem Margolin said that the report’s aim was to help Jewish communities across Europe lobby for positive change.
He said: "The aim of the study is not to clash with this or that government and certainly not to embarrass or campaign against this or that government but to create a comparative scientific infrastructure on the quality of Jewish life in various European countries and allow community leaders and government heads to know what practical steps are needed to overcome the challenges together.”
