Brussels, November 9th, 2026 – An Iranian woman residing in one of the EU member states, the son of a Holocaust survivor and a Jewish student leader were some of the keynote speakers at a conference organised by the European Coalition for Israel in the European Parliament in Brussels on Thursday 5 November, only a few days before the 88th anniversary of Kristallnacht, the Night of Broken Glass. They spoke about the mutual threats and challenges they are facing in Europe in 2026.
On the night of 9 November 1938, the sounds of breaking glass shattered the air in cities throughout Germany and parts of Austria, while fires across both countries devoured synagogues and Jewish institutions. By the end of the rampage, gangs of Nazi storm troopers had destroyed 7,000 Jewish businesses, set fire to more than 900 synagogues, killed 91 Jews and deported some 30,000 Jewish men to concentration camps.
“Europeans who wish to remain true to their conscience and shared values must ask themselves how to prevent such events from recurring,” said conference co-host Tomas Sandell, Founding Director of the European Coalition for Israel.
Canadian businessman Rick Ekstein, the son of a Holocaust survivor, connected the tragedies of the past with the challenges of today by sharing how his mother was smuggled out of the Warsaw Ghetto at the tender age of eight thanks to the courage of a Polish Christian, and was later protected by another Christian family.
“It is thanks to the courage of these Christians that I am able to speak to you here today,” he said. Despite finding refuge in Canada, he noted how the scourge of antisemitism is re-emerging in both Canada and Europe. The synagogue where he was married has had bullets fired at it, and his daughter and grandson were confronted on the subway simply for wearing a Star of David. Meanwhile, in Europe, Jewish families are asking whether they have a future on the continent. Some are leaving. Even before 7 October, an EU survey found that roughly four out of ten Jewish respondents had considered leaving because they did not feel safe in Europe. “When Jews are persecuted, Christians must speak up. When Christians are persecuted, we Jews shall not remain silent. Our solidarity must mean more than just issuing statements. It means showing up for each other,” he said.
Whilst many Jews are considering leaving Europe, persecuted Christians and other religious minorities from the Middle East and other parts of the world are hoping to find refuge in Europe. But many are disappointed, and even horrified, to discover that their tormentors have also found their way to Europe, explained a speaker from Iran, who spoke of the constant death threats and harassment facing many Iranians in exile who dare to leave their religion or simply oppose the Iranian regime.
“If we cannot live in safety and security in Europe, where can we go?” she asked. The speaker appeared inside the European Parliament without revealing either her real name or her current location for security reasons, after the Iranian regime recently enacted stricter legal measures targeting communication with foreign media and entities, with charges that can carry severe penalties, including the death sentence.
Addressing the audience, she explained why she was speaking out even though it might come at a cost. She was willing to pay that price so that her children could walk, speak and think freely in Europe. Freedom is not free. The price is high. She concluded by asking: are we willing to pay the price?
“If we cannot protect our fundamental rights and freedoms even inside the European Parliament in Brussels, while remaining in contact with the butchers in Tehran who were responsible for the slaughter of over 40,000 civilians in just two days on 8–9 January, we have failed not only the Iranian people but the very values and principles that should be the very foundation of the European project,” Sandell said, commenting on the extraordinary security measures that were needed to enable the Iranian guest speaker to express her concerns inside the European Parliament in Brussels.
Conference co-host MEP Bert-Jan Ruissen noted that while the European Commission has stepped up its measures through new resolutions and regulations, the problem lies with their implementation. Citing an example from a city in his native Netherlands, where demonstrators called for death to Jews while openly supporting Hamas as the local authorities stood idly by, he emphasised the need for stricter measures by local authorities to ensure that European and national legislation is correctly implemented.
MEP Bert-Jan Ruissen was one of the first signatories of the Brussels Declaration, “We are our brothers’ keeper”, which was launched at the conference by Rick Ekstein and Tomas Sandell. The declaration, which aims to bring together faith leaders, public intellectuals and opinion shapers to promote solidarity and religious freedom for all, is endorsed by the President of the Conference of European Rabbis, Chief Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt, and former Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Carey of Clifton.
In a video message to the conference, Chief Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt warned that “we live in a dangerous world where people of faith are being attacked and persecuted. We have to speak up.” At a previous ECI conference at the United Nations in Geneva on Holocaust Remembrance Day, 27 January 2024, Lord Carey called on Christians to stand with the Jewish people as they faced a tsunami of antisemitism after the Hamas terror attack on 7 October 2023. To do otherwise would be to reject our faith and democracy, he said.
Other speakers at the ECI conference in the European Parliament on 5 November included MEP Charlie Weimers; Pascale Falek, Policy Officer in the EU Office of the Coordinator on Combating Antisemitism and Fostering Jewish Life; and Jonas Markowitz, Executive Director of the European Union of Jewish Students.
