Jewish groups push to expand EU antisemitism envoy’s foreign policy role

Pinchas Goldschmidt, president of the Conference of European Rabbis, argues that EU external decisions carry immediate consequences for Jewish communities across Europe. He maintains that diplomats require guidance from the official tasked with monitoring these impacts daily. The European Jewish Congress echoed this sentiment in Brussels, calling for the coordinator to ensure that the fight against antisemitism is systematically integrated into all EU foreign policy and external actions.

This debate coincides with the departure of Katharina von Schnurbein, who concludes a decade-long tenure as the EU’s antisemitism tsar. The 53-year-old German baroness, who maintained close proximity to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, will transition on October 28 to a new role as the federal government commissioner for Jewish life in Germany. During her time in Brussels, von Schnurbein utilized a three-person staff and traveled extensively to Israel, Switzerland, Serbia, and the United States, often blurring the lines between domestic advocacy and international diplomatic engagement.