The Jewish Community of Porto, Portugal's representative in the European Jewish Association, which gathers Jewish communities from Portugal to Ukraine, sent the government a ten-point motion approved at the organization's meeting in Budapest that took place on June 20 and 21.
The motion provides a roadmap that governments should implement to increase their ranking in the European Jewish Association's index of countries that are promoting Jewish life, and the Jewish Community of Porto was tasked with defending the motion with the Portuguese state.
MOTION PROPOSED TO EJA ANNUAL CONFERENCE – BUDAPEST 20-21 June 2022
Moved by EJA Chairman Rabbi Menachem Margolin
Whilst we, Jewish Leaders gathered in Budapest on this day - 21 June 2022 - welcome statements of support and words of goodwill from our respective Governments, we believe that Governments and regional authorities must adopt the following vital measures to foster
Jewish Life and safeguard Jewish communities.
We Jewish Leaders propose these measures in order to improve the feelings of security felt by Jewish Communities:
1. The adoption of a “zero tolerance” policing and judiciary policy towards antisemitism.
2. Increased policing presence on the streets in flashpoint/areas of inter-communal tension.
3. Education provision for all immigrants and schools on the need to respect diversity, plurality and basic tenets of Jewish faith, customs and practice.
4. Enshrine the primacy of Freedom of Religion for Jews in their respective countries by protecting Kosher Slaughter and Circumcision from punitive legislation that impedes or bans both.
5. Appoint a government co-ordinator for combatting antisemitism and fostering Jewish life.
6. Adoption, in full, of the IHRA definition of antisemitism.
7. Establish a dedicated programme for the memorialisation of the Shoah.
8. Establish and maintain a central government and/or regional database of antisemitic incidents.
9. The dedicated supply of security equipment to Jewish Communities and dedicated support and promotion of Jewish Culture, Education and the maintenance of Synagogues.
10. Decrease the number of UNGA votes that seek to arbitrarily and one-sidedly isolate and punish the State of Israel.
