A leading European rabbi this week called on Israel to end its engagement with far-right parties in Europe, regardless of their position on the Jewish state.
Conference of European Rabbis president Pinchas Goldschmidt warned Israeli lawmakers at a meeting at the Knesset on Thursday that cozying up to nationalist groups in Europe was putting the local Jewish community at risk.
“If a party is intrinsically racist, bigoted against large parts of society and intolerant of minorities, if Jews are not the target now, they will be in the near future,” Goldschmidt said in a statement released Friday.
He told lawmakers at the Knesset’s Committee for Immigration, Absorption and Diaspora Affairs that Israeli politicians should consult with local Jewish communities before engaging with far-right officials.
“It is not worth a short-term endorsement or for Israel to receive political support, only to put the Jewish community at risk,” Goldschmidt said.
