Antisemitic acts are rising across Europe, yet many never make it into official statistics—not because they don’t occur, but because they are unreported. In Greece, a country with both a long Jewish heritage and recurring episodes of antisemitic violence, this gap has long been visible. EXODUS, launched in 2024 and coordinated by the Hellenic Police, was created to address precisely this blind spot.Rather than adding another awareness campaign to the pile, EXODUS takes a more demanding route: it tries to rebuild institutional capacity from the inside out, providing police officers, investigators, judges, and victim-support professionals with clear, actionable tools to recognise, investigate, and prosecute antisemitic hate crimes. And it does so through a partnership rarely seen at this scale—uniting state bodies, independent authorities, researchers, victim-support organisations and Jewish communities themselves. A System Built Around a Simple Idea: If You Can’t Identify Antisemitism, You Can’t Fight ItThe backbone of EXODUS is the White Paper on Antisemitic Crimes, a dense but practical operational manual validated in November 2025. It contains three major components:A guide on Jewish life and antisemitic terminology—explaining symbols, practices, cultural references, and where hateful narratives diverge from legitimate expression.An action plan with standard operating procedures (SOPs) that walk frontline officers, investigators and prosecutors through what to do—step by step—when facing an antisemitic incident.A victim-support and referral framework, recognising that for many victims, reporting is often the hardest part.This White Paper is meant to become a working document, not a theoretical one: something officers can consult in real time, something prosecutors can use in court, and something community representatives can trust. Training 1,000 Practitioners - One Scenario at a TimeTo make sure this doesn’t stay on paper, EXODUS is delivering a nationwide training programme targeting 1,000 practitioners across the criminal justice chain.The approach is hands-on and practical: scenario-based exercises, case simulations, visual examples of symbols and hate narratives, and detailed worksheets that translate legal definitions into operational decisions. A central Train-the-Trainers course allows selected investigators and judicial actors to replicate EXODUS internally, ensuring the tools survive beyond the project’s end.A dedicated Learning Management System hosts all materials, allowing new staff to train themselves and institutions to build EXODUS content into their regular curricula. Building Trust Where It Matters MostOne of the project’s most important dimensions is its cooperation with Jewish communities. Representatives are involved in content design, validation, and dissemination—ensuring that the tools respond not only to legal requirements but also to lived experiences. This co-production is crucial: without trust, victims don’t report; without reporting, institutions cannot respond; without response, hate crimes multiply.EXODUS also pays special attention to the digital sphere, recognising that antisemitic narratives now spread online at a pace and scale traditional investigative tools often fail to keep up with. OSINT methods and digital case studies help practitioners distinguish between protected speech, coded hate, and incitement. From Athens to Brussels: A Model with EU AmbitionAlthough it is still ongoing, EXODUS already reads like a test case for something bigger—a potential model for a common EU criminal justice response to antisemitic crimes. Its methodology aligns directly with the EU Strategy on Combating Antisemitism and Fostering Jewish Life (2021–2030) and aims to turn it into operational reality.A structured policy-transfer plan will bring the project’s tools to EU institutions in Brussels, legislative working groups, and relevant networks. The ambition is clear: turn EXODUS into a replicable blueprint for Member States struggling with similar gaps.EXODUS stands out for three reasons:It bridges the gap between legal frameworks and daily police/judicial practice.It translates complex cultural and historical knowledge into operational guidance that frontline actors can actually use.It embeds victims and communities into its design, fostering trust and long-term institutional change.In a field where many initiatives stay abstract, EXODUS is refreshingly concrete and potentially transformative. Implementing organisationHellenic Police (Greece)Get in touch!Konstantinos Margaros – Police Lt.Colonel, Research associate.k [dot] margaroskemea-research [dot] gr (k[dot]margaros[at]kemea-research[dot]gr) General publications17 March 2026EXODUS
