The International Conference on Combating Antisemitism was held in Jerusalem on Thursday, seeing a star-studded cast of political figures, influencers, and personalities despite controversy about some of the participants.
Attendees attended several roundtable discussions of their choice, including expert panels on “Antisemitism in Academia and Public Education’ and “Government-Led Efforts to Combat Antisemitism.” Some of the panels, such as “Community Security and Resilience,” were restricted to selected guests.
Conference participants heard from Diaspora Minister Amichai Chikli, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in special addresses on antisemitism.
Netanyahu said that just as his father had issued a 1933 warning that Nazi antisemitism could only be defeated if human society as a whole joined the fight against it, today the “fate of free societies is tied to their willingness to fight the scourge of antisemitism.”
“Antisemitism legitimizes and unleashes wanton violence against a part of human society just because of the identity of its members – not because of anything they do, but because of who they are. And once this principle is practiced on one group, it has no limits,” said Netanyahu.
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“Eighty years ago, this deadly virus destroyed a third of the Jewish people. Its virulent mutations under the Nazis claimed the lives of millions more until it was stamped out by unrelenting Allied military force. Now this hatred has reemerged."
“It has reemerged through its radical Islamist carriers in Yemen, Iran, Lebanon, Gaza, and elsewhere. These antisemites wish to destroy not only the Jewish state. They seek to destroy the forces of modernity in the Arab and Muslim world. They seek to drag it back to a primitive and violent medievalism.”
This evil was exemplified by the October 7 Massacre, but in contrast to the Jews of the past, Jews today have a state and a military – it brought Hezbollah to its knees, destroyed the remnants of former Syrian dictator Bashar Assad’s army, and it fights to return the hostages held by Hamas.
Yet as we win the war against the forces of antisemitism in the Middle East, the fires of antisemitism rage in the heart of Western civilization, in Europe’s capitals, in the Western press, and in social media.
“They rage in America’s elite universities,” said Netanyahu. “This is a reflection of a deep rot that has pervaded the intellectual hub of free societies. And this vilification of Israel, the Jewish people, and Western values has been propagated by a systemic alliance between the ultra-progressive left and radical Islam. It must be resolutely fought by civilized societies to safeguard their future.”
National Rally leader Jordan Bardella spoke before Netanyahu amid controversy over his inclusion and representation of two other rightist political parties.
During his speech, Bardella made a commitment on behalf of France to fight antisemitism, deferred to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism, and assured that French Jews would be best protected by his party.
High-profile withdrawals in protest
At the invitation of Bardella and others, a swathe of high-profile participants had withdrawn from the event. Jewish communities complained that Chikli and his ministry had not consulted with them about these parties, which they argued were against the liberal democratic values that ensured the protection of Jews.
The ADL, European Jewish Congress, UK Chief Rabbi Mirvis, UK politician and antisemitism adviser Lord John Mann, Goldsmiths University professor David Hirsh, French philosopher Bernard-Henri Lévy, German antisemitism czar Felix Klein, and former Bundestag member Volker Beck had all announced their withdrawal ahead of the event.
Comedian Michael Rappaport said he was aware of the controversy but that he wouldn’t turn down an opportunity to speak out against antisemitism, which he believed could be best fought by everyone uniting together. He might not agree with everything he heard at the conference, but everyone agreed that antisemitism needed to be fought.
“I know Israel isn’t perfect, just like I know NYC is imperfect or the United States is imperfect, but that doesn’t stop me from loving them and fighting for them,” said Rappaport.
Influencer Emily Austin said that the conference was important for coordinating the stand against antisemitism and sharing different ideas on how to fight it.
Military analyst Andrew Fox said that the exchange of ideas and best practices on countering antisemitism was essential and hoped that tools could be developed based on what was learned at the event.