''The goal of our activities in fighting anti-Semitism is to allow Jews to live in Europe without fear,'' said the EU coordinator on combating anti-Semitism, Katharina von Schnurbein, during a discussion in the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, on the issue of anti-Semitism in Europe.

She recognized that anti-Semitism often lies behind anti-Zionism.

The meeting was hosted by the Immigration, Absorption and Diaspora Affairs committee.

Von Schnurbein, who was named as her post last year, said the European Union it is actively fighting anti-Semitism in all its forms.

“We have very much intensified our efforts, and we must pull our forces to fight this together,” said von Schnurbein.

She said the general increase in anti-Semitic incidents throughout Europe and the ”atmosphere of hatred,” particularly online, are very worrying. She said that since her appointment in December, the EU`s activity against anti-Semitism has included dialogue with the major Internet companies – Facebook, Google, Twitter and Microsoft - which brought about the Code of Conduct. Under the code, the companies pledged to fund organizations that help them monitor the situation and train people who will report any inciting content online.

”We are currently monitoring the process to see if there really is a change. We want to see a real change on the ground,” she said, while mentioning the EU legislation from 2014 against Holocaust denial and expressions of hate and incitement. ”Today, only 13 of the 28 member states properly apply the law,” von Schnurbein told the committee. ”We are pressuring them to implement it.” ''The goal of all this activity is that Jews will be able to live in Europe without fear. The fact that we have reached a situation whereby Jews send their children to schools behind barbed wire fences or send them to public schools without knowing whether they will be exposed to incitement there – this situation is unacceptable,” von Schnurbein said.

”The fact that we see security guards outside synagogues – and we have grown used to this –this is also unacceptable. But it doesn`t end there. There are security guards outside government buildings. The security situation is no longer limited to Jewish communities. We are convinced that it is the responsibility of society as a whole to combat anti-Semitism.”

During the discussion, the Knesset committee chairman Avraham Neguise thanked the EU`s coordinator for combating anti-Semitism for the recent measures taken by the EU, including the Code of Conduct, adopted by the European Commission and social media companies to ”remove hate speech inciting to violence within 24 hours.”

But he called on the European Union to act against anti-Semitism by organizations or individuals, via legislation, sanctions and above all, education. “The education you give your children in schools, in educational institutions must be based on loving the ‘other’”

Yaakov Hagoel, head of the World Zionist Organization`s Department for Countering Anti-Semitism, von Schnurbein as a “new wind in the EU,” but he mentioned an EU survey conducted a few years ago which revealed that 74% of the victims of anti-Semitic attacks do not report them to the authorities.

‘’This indicates that the number of anti-Semitic incidents in Europe is significantly higher than what the official figures show,’’ he said.

Addressing von Schnurbein and EU ambassador to Israel Lars Faaborg-Andersen, who also present at the discussion, Haguel said, ”These Jews are your citizens; they are European citizens; proud citizens who want to live in Europe; who want to raise their children in Europe; who pay taxes. Before legislation and enforcement and education – what kind of atmosphere is being created for your citizens there? For us, the Jewish people, it is very concerning, but you, who represent the sovereign governments of each country, are responsible for the Jewish citizens, just as you are responsible for all the other citizens.”

Rabbi Aryeh Goldberg of the Rabbinical Centre of Europe said, ”You cannot on the one hand constantly try to undermine the foundations of Judaism – be it brit milah (male circumcision ritual) or kosher shechitah (slaughtering of animals for food in accordance with Jewish law) – and on the other hand talk all the time about wanting to eradicate anti-Semitism.”

NGO Monitor President Gerald M. Steinberg spoke of the ”new anti-Semitism” and said the rise in the number of anti-Semitic incidents and terror attacks against Jews and Jewish institutions ”is directly linked to the incitement we hear about every day in Europe and the world. It is obvious that phrases such as `war crimes,` `genocide,` `violation of international law,` `ethnic cleansing` and `apartheid` - which are said repeatedly in reference to Israel - feed this anti-Semitism.”

Rut Zach of the Foreign Ministry`s Department for Combating Anti-Semitism said that since von Schnurbein`s appointment ”we can see concrete action against anti-Semitism in Europe,” adding that the left in Europe must take the lead on this issue. ”The left is supposed to protect human rights,” she said.

Carol Nuriel, Acting Director of the Anti-Defamation League's Israel Office, presented the findings of a poll showing that one in every three Europeans holds anti-Semitic opinions. Another survey conducted by ADL after the terror attacks at the offices of the satirical weekly French newspaper Charlie Hebdo, the kosher supermarket Hypercacher and the Jewish Museum in Brussels indicated a 10-20% decrease in anti-Semitism in France, Germany and Belgium.

”The awareness of the danger of violence against Jews created a sort of solidarity with the Jewish communities, and it is very important to preserve this solidarity,” Nuriel stressed. ”Another conclusion is that when elected officials act – and we all remember French Prime Minister Manuel Valls`s historic speech – there are results on the ground.”

David Bidan, Director of the Middle East Research Center, spoke of the textbooks used in UNRWA (the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East) schools, which he said are based on ”jihad, suicide, and the right of return amid the armed struggle.”

UNRWA`s curriculum ”is the most anti-Semitic curriculum ever created,” Bidan said. ”There are teachers in UNRWA schools who are Hamas members. This is a violation of EU laws. And this is just the tip of the iceberg.”

The EU Ambassador in Israel talked about the ‘’urgency” of the battle against anti-Semitism, ‘’which is a despicable phenomenon.’’ ‘’The EU is committed 100 percent to this fight,” Faaborg-Andersen said.