Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, president of Tel Aviv-based civil rights organization Shurat HaDin, which has been leading the legal fight against Israel’s enemies in the courts and has represented terror victims in legal actions against terrorist organizations, participated in a panel discussion together with Avi Cohen Scali, director-general of the Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism Ministry, at The Jerusalem Post Conference on Monday in New York. The panel was moderated by Zvika Klein, Jewish World Analyst for the Post.
“We will sue Hamas because these people are responsible for the attack. And if Hamas thinks that they are untouchable, they are wrong.”
Nitsana Darshan-Leitner
Darshan-Leitner pointed out that nineteen people have been murdered this year in shooting, car-ramming and knife attacks. She recounted the story of the murders of Lucy Dee and her daughters Maia and Rina in a shooting attack in the Jordan Valley during Passover.
Even in this year of heinous attacks on civilians, the targeting of the family of British olim from Efrat in their car deeply shocked the country.
How is the Israeli government combatting antisemitism?
Cohen Scali discussed the Israeli government’s efforts to combat antisemitism. He explained that the government is fighting antisemitism on college campuses and is working with Chabad, Hillel and other organizations to create programs against antisemitism.
Cohen Scali added that the ministry believes that maintaining a strong Jewish identity can help counter the antisemitism that Jewish students frequently face on college campuses. He also discussed the government’s efforts to help improve Jewish education in the Diaspora, including adding more teachers, raising their salaries and providing appropriate educational materials.At the conclusion of the discussion, Darshan-Leitner discussed the struggle against BDS and antisemitism. “When our enemies realize they cannot defeat us militarily, they started using BDS and antisemitism. We are fighting these challenges as well. But we cannot be reactive only. We must take the fight against them until we win.”