A lot happened in Europe over the (United States celebrated) Memorial Day weekend. But none of it was good for the Jews. 

On Saturday there was a shooting that killed four at a Brussels Jewish museum. Soon after, two Orthodox Jews were severely beaten in Paris. For those who don’t know, Belgium and France are hotbeds of anti-Semitism. At the same time, the elections to the European Union parliament were held, and the anti-EU parties, many of whom are also anti-Semitic, saw a huge surge in their vote. For example, thanks to this election, the European Parliament is set to seat its first fully-fledged neo-Nazis members, from Germany and Greece. Also, parties which have been dominated by or made up of anti-Semites in the past or present, like the French National Front, the Italian 5-Star Movement of former comic Beppe Grillo, and the Freedom Party of Austria, have all had strong showings.

All of this was easily predictable. In fact, I predicted a rise in anti-Semitic sentiments and attacks in Europe more than a year ago. And let me reiterate what I wrote earlier -- the Jews of Europe need to leave Europe now, before it is too late.  

Why?  Consider these facts:

1) Europe is dying demographically. As David Goldman has said of Southern Europeans, “You are dying because you wish to die; that is, because you do not wish to rear children.” By 2040, Southern Europeans will have about 60% more elderly dependents than now, and about half as many young workers. And things are not much different for the rest of Europe. This will inevitably lead to chaos and violence, which will (in turn) inescapably negatively impact European Jews.

2) The only demographically growing populations in Europe are Muslim immigrants, who are also not assimilating into the general public, but instead radicalizing against it. These Muslims are increasingly anti-Semitic, but because the European elites are unwilling to limit the inflow of these immigrants or to police the Saudi Arabian or Muslim Brotherhood sponsored imams, who indoctrinate this vicious anti-Semitism, there is no hope that anything effective will be done to mitigate the damage.

3) The European economy, outside Germany, is also (economically) dying. Partly as a result of their demographic problems, the European economies will eventually collapse, along with their social safety net. Poor fiscal management by Europe’s public officials is another big problem. “The best economic estimates are that Europe is facing another ‘lost decade; of economic growth -- stagnant economies will do nothing to reduce sky-high unemployment among young people, and the need for more Eurocrisis bailouts will keep taxes high.” 

4) Many mainstream European groups or leaders dislike or hate Israel, and rarely distinguish between Jews and the State of Israel. They are representative of the European (non-Muslim) population, where anti-Semitic attitudes remain at “disturbingly high levels.” For this reason, the Boycott, Divestment & Sanctions movement is flowering in Europe, even as the Palestinians have been proven, again and again, to be the real impediment to  peace in the region.

5) The European establishment is increasingly acting to outlaw Jewish cultural and religious customs, such as circumcisions, and in one country, kosher food. Ironically, the intended bans are probably a reaction to tensions between the secular European leadership and religious Muslims; but they clearly discriminate against Jews and create a hostile environment.

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu had truth on his side when he explained, regarding the attack in Brussels, “This act of murder is the result of constant incitement against Jews and their state.  Slander and lies against the State of Israel continue to be heard on European soil even as the crimes against humanity and acts of murder being perpetrated in our region (by others) are systematically ignored. Our response to this hypocrisy is to constantly state the truth, continue a relentless fight against terrorism and build up our strength.” 

However, the truth alone will not save the Jews of Europe. They need to leave, and leave now, before things get any worse.

Adam Turner serves as general counsel to the Endowment for Middle East Truth (EMET).  He is a former counsel to the Senate Judiciary Committee where he focused on national security law.