Seventy years after the victory over Nazi Germany, we are unfortunately witnessing a renewal of antisemitism and an increased number of people who deny the Holocaust and distort its memory.
Reports show that antisemitic expression reached a peak this past year, with the main concentration in Western Europe and on the Internet. Seventy years after the Holocaust, many Jews in Europe are again feeling insecure in the face of increasing antisemitic incidents and terrorist attacks perpetrated by radical Islamic elements that took the lives of nine victims in the space of one year.
Against this backdrop, the Fifth Global Forum for Combating Antisemitism, which will convene on 12-14 May 2015 in Jerusalem, has the crucial task of shaping international policy and formulating a plan of action for combating antisemitism. Attending this, the largest conference of its kind to be held anywhere, will be about 1000 experts from all of the world, including the vice-president of the European Commission, minister of the Hungarian Prime Minister’s Office, justice ministers of Germany and Romania, the Bulgarian minister of education and science, the mayor of Paris, and Canada’s minister for multiculturalism. Israel will be represented by the prime minister, the president of the Supreme Court, the speaker of the Knesset, the foreign minister, and the minister for Jerusalem and Diaspora Affairs. Also participating will be members of Parliament, senior officials, representatives of the civil society, jurists and academicians, as well as the Hollywood actor and director Edward James Olmos.
At the conference special emphasis will be placed on developing effective ways of dealing with the rise of antisemitism in Europe, on the Internet and in social media. A very important panel discussion will be held featuring European Muslim leaders, with the purpose of promoting interfaith dialogue and understanding.
Twelve working groups will hold detailed discussions on – inter alia – meeting the challenge of Holocaust denial and distortion, using legal tools, and promoting legislation against antisemitism.
The conference is being organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, together with the Ministry for Jerusalem and Diaspora Affairs.
Relevant links:
· Twitter – hashtag GFCA2015#