Antisemitism is an irrational hatred and deep societal ill.  A political environment which fosters antisemitism is often fundamentally illiberal and oppressive of human rights. Ultimately, the struggle against antisemitism, is congruent with the battle for democratic values and the decent society, and as such is of concern for the entire body politic, not only Jewish populations.  

According to a recent study by the Anti-Defamation League, more than 1 billion people around the world harbor antisemitic attitudes. While the world has made significant progress in combating antisemitism, 2017 saw a sharp rise in many antisemitic trends  across Europe and the United States. As antisemitism continues to rear its ugly head in the forms of historical revisionism, anti-Zionism, intolerance towards religious rights, and verbal and physical violence, the Israeli Government is working to bring the international community together to fight antisemitism in all its forms. 

The Sixth Global Forum for Combating Antisemitism, will take place in Jerusalem from March 19-21. Organized by Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs with the assistance of the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs, the three day forum is the largest gathering of its kind in the world, bringing together more than 1,000 political leaders, public officials, diplomats, clergy, experts and activists to advance efforts to combat antisemitism across the globe.  

Keynote speakers include Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former French Prime Minister Manuel Valls, Mike Signer, former Mayor of Charlottesville, VA, Irina Bokova, the former UNESCO secretary general and Mayim Bialik, well-known actress, writer and neuroscientist. The forum will include a series of plenary sessions and expert panels, focusing on the following themes: 

 

The internet, for all its incredible contribution to modern life, has also empowered new forms and modalities of hate and prejudice. All major internet platforms today are being used in various ways by purveyors of antisemitism and other forms of cyberhate.

 A centerpiece of #GFCA2018 will be the panel hosted by Ayelet Shaked, Israel’s Minister of Justice, together with the Ministers of Justice of Germany, Greece, Italy, Malta, Moldova and the Slovak Republic who will  address in concrete terms the issue of online hatred and the role of government in combating it. 

 

The past year has seen significant and disturbing gains by parties of the far right in Europe. This issue will be addressed at a plenary led by former Israeli minister Dan Meridor and addressed by Natan Sharansky, a former Prisoner of Zion and now the head of the Jewish Agency, and by Professor Shlomo Avineri and Ariel Muzicant of the Jewish community in Austria.

Antisemitism is on the rise within extreme factions at both ends of the political spectrum. On the far right, we are witnessing a new wave of historical revisionism, in which truths about the Holocaust are being deliberately minimized and distorted. On the far left, we see a consistent wave of antisemitism masked as anti-Zionism, an increase in antisemitic incidents by extreme-left groups on college campuses, and continuous efforts to bar Jewish activists from progressive forums, including LGBTQ groups. A special panel of of people active in the LGBTQ movement will speak to these challenges with the Rainbow Coalition, and former Mayor of Charlottesville, Mark Signer, will speak to the spectre of neo-Nazis group in the United States as they manifested themselves in his city last year. 

Irina Bokova, former UNESCO Secretary General will speak on strategies to confront antisemitism on the political and governmental levels at #GFCA2018, alongside and we will also be discussing the challenge of hate at sporting events, with the participation of ESPN reporter Jeremy Schaap and the Director of the Chelsea FC Foundation, Simon Taylor.

 

The Global Forum for Combating Antisemitism will also bring together clergy and religious leaders from diverse backgrounds, to discuss ways in which religious communities can work together to promote tolerance and fight antisemitism. 

Jewish, Christian, and Muslim leaders including Kadi Iyad Zahalka, head of the Shar’ia Court in Jerusalem, and theologian and writer Rabbi Irving Greenberg will speak at the Forum. We will also be addressing the legislative assault on Jewish and Muslim religious practice in Europe, as well as means of teaching the legacy of the Holocaust among young and disaffected Muslim populations.

This is only a part of the rich program which will be presented at the 6th Global Forum for Combating Antisemitism. For further details, visit www.gcfa2018.org. REGISTER NOW​  to reserve your place at the world's most important gathering to combat antisemitism.

 

Combating antisemitism is everyone’s job. We hope you join us.