In the context of the commemorative events of January 27, International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust, once again events have taken place to restore and honor the memory of the six million Jews, half a million Roma, political dissidents, homosexuals, the disabled, and all the victims of the atrocious Nazi regime and its collaborators.
Once again we look back and the images of insults, accusations, persecutions, harassment come to mind… then came the industry of death: the trains, the concentration and extermination camps, the gas chambers and the crematoria.
Once again we ask ourselves what the Holocaust teaches us: that democracy is fragile if we are not vigilant. That contempt, discrimination, and hatred spread like an oil stain if we do not stop it. That good men and women, if they look the other way, allow evil to grow and take over society.
The Holocaust was not something sudden. It was a larva fed for years on lies and falsehoods about the Jews.
Once again, we have the opportunity to reflect on this and we will see that in our day there are organizations and individuals with the same antisemitic intentions who seek the destruction of the Jews.
We saw it in Manchester with the attack on a synagogue on the holiest day of Judaism, Yom Kippur, and we saw it in the Bondi Beach massacre in Sydney, Australia, during another Jewish holiday. Two men, father and son, opened fire on the crowd, seeking to murder as many people as possible.
To what level of indoctrination have these people been exposed to generate this need to kill Jews?
They pull the trigger. But others have heated things up with words.
Last Saturday, January 24, just three days before the Holocaust commemoration, around twenty Jewish graves appeared desecrated in the Les Corts cemetery in Barcelona. The Jewish school in the same city appeared on a map that pointed out businesses and companies of Jews, Israelis, and Spaniards with interests in Israel. A school in the Catalan public system! Thus they put the safety of hundreds of children in the crosshairs. On walls and facades of our Spanish cities we see graffiti such as “Jewish murderer,” “Jewish genocidal,” and “kill the Jews.”
Spanish Jews are living through the most difficult times of our lives. Many of ours have decided to hide the symbols of Jewish identity so as not to be exposed to possible dangers. Jewish children are the only Spaniards who see police cars at the entrance of their schools. Jewish youth have heard in high schools and universities from the mouths of their professors condemnations, judgments, accusations. They have lived for months in a suffocating environment led by a hostile minority that attacks and a majority that does nothing. Jewish worshippers are the only Spaniards who go to pray almost escorted by officers.
Why?
This is a question that should not only be asked by Jews who, moreover, feel deeply grateful to the state security forces who take care of and protect us with the utmost professionalism and sensitivity. Living like this is a complete anomaly in a free, democratic country that defends individual rights. Why, the media, the sports, cultural, and educational authorities should ask themselves.
Because antisemitism is the canary in the mine, an early warning sign of a greater danger that threatens the whole of society. And antisemitic discourse has occurred in all these spheres. There is great confusion between Jew, Israeli, Zionist, but what surely unites us is the hatred of antisemites.
We have heard speeches from some politicians that are clearly excessive, that go beyond legitimate criticism and clearly call for the disappearance of the State of Israel, the only Jewish country in the world. The country where the Jewish people exercise their inalienable right to self-determination.
We understand criticism of governments, but it is unbearable to us that there are calls for the “dismantling of Israel,” for the State of Israel to disappear, as a Balearic politician wished for this new year 2026.
It is deeply unjust that Jews and Israelis are persecuted and attacked. It is painful that sports competitions in which an Israeli team plays are held behind closed doors. And, they say, because security is not guaranteed. My question is, who threatens security?
We saw it in the Cycling Tour that marked an unprecedented event with the cancellation of the final stage, in the EuroLeague basketball games. But they have also canceled talks about antisemitism in Spain, about the history of the chuetas (the Jews who converted to Catholicism in Mallorca).
A seminar on antisemitism planned at the Complutense University of Madrid had to change location. Scholars of Judaism and researchers of antisemitism have been defamed and insulted. Some politicians should be more responsible with their statements.
The media have a major role in this scene: their mission is to tell the truth, clarify confusions, and foster a climate of respect among people and peoples. However, we have seen manipulation and misrepresentation that not only increase confusion, but also create an ideal climate to blame, spit on, and condemn the Jews.
Spanish Jews ask that outbreaks of antisemitism be cut off at the root: from a word, an expression, a joke, or a slip. We ask for responsibility when reporting on the State of Israel because we understand the enormous power the media have to shape public opinion.
Reporting responsibly does not mean censoring criticism or demanding political alignment, but rather contextualizing the facts, avoiding oversimplifications, and clearly distinguishing between the State of Israel, its temporary governments, Israeli society, and the Jewish people in their diversity. Too often, partial coverage, sensationalist headlines, or the use of imprecise language feed prejudices and contribute to misinformation, which then translates into hostility toward Jews.
To demand journalistic rigor is to claim the same standards that are applied to any other conflict: verifying sources, offering different voices, historical framing, and care with narratives that dehumanize.
In a context of growing polarization, responsible information is not only a professional obligation, but also an essential contribution to coexistence and democratic debate.
Finally, we call for consulting as often as necessary and for disseminating the definition of antisemitism of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), of which Spain has been a member since 2008 and whose commitment it reaffirmed in 2020.
This editorial was originally published in Spanish by El País.
