Joined up research across Europe means better policies in the battle against hate

Existing research into antisemitism and Jewish life is fragmented. NERON (the Network for European Research on Jewish Life and Antisemitism) is a major European initiative designed to build a more connected, resilient and methodologically robust research and policy ecosystem. 

In recent years, several governments in different parts of Europe – along with the European Commission itself – have made serious and welcome commitments to combating antisemitism and fostering Jewish life. Those commitments matter enormously. They reflect recognition of the persistence of antisemitism and a growing awareness that Jewish life is an integral part of Europe’s past, present and future.

But if those commitments are to translate into effective policy and sustainable outcomes, they require something that has, until now, been less well developed: a strong and coherent foundation of empirical knowledge.

Across the work I have been involved in – spanning multiple countries, datasets and many years of research – one challenge has consistently emerged. While there is already a considerable body of research on antisemitism and contemporary Jewish life in Europe, the overall evidence base remains far weaker than it needs to be to inform genuinely effective policy.

The quality of existing research ranges dramatically, from excellent to pure speculation. But more generally, it is typically fragmented, uneven across countries, and only loosely connected to the policy processes it is meant to inform. In some places, data are relatively rich; in others, they are sparse or absent. Standards and methodologies vary enormously, and opportunities to compare findings across borders – or to build cumulative insight over time – remain limited.

These are not simply technical weaknesses. They have real consequences. Where evidence is absent or partial, responses tend to be reactive. Where knowledge is uneven, policy tends to follow suit. And where research is not systematically connected to decision-making, even well-intentioned interventions too often miss their mark.

In most other policy fields – health, education, migration – gaps in knowledge infrastructure would be difficult to accept. Robust systems exist to gather data, connect research, and translate findings into policy-relevant insight. They do not eliminate uncertainty, but they help ensure decisions are based on the best available evidence rather than disconnected fragments.

But in the field of contemporary Jewish life and antisemitism, such infrastructure has, until now, been underdeveloped. This is the gap that NERON – the Network for European Research on Jewish Life and Antisemitism – is designed to address.

NERON is not simply another research project. It is a long-term effort to strengthen the system that allows knowledge in this field to be built, shared and applied. It will connect researchers, policymakers and communities across Europe, identify gaps in knowledge and capacity, and strengthen the standards and tools used to study both contemporary antisemitism and Jewish life. In practical terms, it will seek to build a more coordinated and cumulative research environment – one in which insights generated in one country can inform understanding in another and in which knowledge will develop systematically over time.

This matters, first and foremost, for Jewish communities themselves. A clearer, more nuanced understanding of Jewish life is essential to developing policies that support it effectively.

But it also matters for Europe more broadly. Historically, Jewish life has often served as a sensitive indicator of the wider condition of European societies. Where Jewish communities feel secure and able to flourish, this is often associated with openness, confidence and social cohesion. Where they do not, it can signal deeper tensions. Understanding Jewish life, therefore, is not only about understanding a minority. It is also about understanding society itself.

For that reason, strengthening the knowledge infrastructure in this field cannot be seen as a niche concern. It is part of a broader effort to ensure that public policy – particularly in areas touching on minority identity and social cohesion – is grounded in robust, comparable evidence.

The launch of NERON marks an important step in that direction. It cannot resolve all the challenges in this field, but it can begin to put in place the foundations for a far more coherent system of knowledge.

If governments across Europe are serious about combating antisemitism, they need to understand it fully and accurately. And if they are serious about fostering Jewish life, they need to understand the scale, nature and prospects of that life empirically, without bias or stereotype.

Ultimately, this is not simply a question of producing more research. It is a question of whether governments and communities across Europe have the tools they need to understand one of their oldest minorities clearly, fairly, and consistently over time.

Those tools will not emerge by accident. They need to be designed, supported and sustained. NERON – this new visionary initiative JPR has been charged and entrusted to lead across the continent – is designed to begin building them.

• Dr Jonathan Boyd is the Executive Director of the Institute for Jewish Policy Research