The Nobel laureate and humanitarian advocate Eli Wiesel once said: "We must take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented."

day we must all take sides against racism. Racism targets all of us and divides us. From Yazidi children in Syria to Muslim Sunnis in Iran, from Christian schoolgirls in Nigeria to Jewish communities in Europe – they have all been targets of violent hate crimes in recent months. People of all faiths, from all over the world are victims of dark minds and international indifference.

Racism, anti-Semitism and homophobia – these are all illnesses born out of intolerance and the failure to see what can bring us together. We must recognize our shared values as human beings and embrace our human diversity

Madam Chairperson,

The UN was founded on the idea of the faith in fundamental human rights and in the dignity and worth of the human person. It emerged from the scorched battlefields of World War Two with the promise that history should not repeat itself. The memory of the 6 million Jews who were tormented and murdered in the Holocaust demands – 'never again'. 

The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination declares that we must condemn the promotion of ideas or theories of superiority of one race or group, and we must condemn the promotion of ideas or theories which attempt to justify or promote racial hatred and discrimination in any form.

It has been almost 50 years since the Convention was passed, yet according to recent reports from the World Zionist Organization, anti-Semitism is at its highest levels since the 1930s.

In the past year there has been a 436% increase in anti-Semitic incidents in Europe as well as a 1,200% increase in anti-Semitism in Latin America.

These are not just numbers. Behind the statistics are dozens of charred synagogues, hundreds of beatings, and thousands of frightened families.

A tide of racism, racial discrimination and xenophobia is sweeping the world.  Tolerance, coexistence and mutual respect must be taught in all venues - classrooms to conference rooms, from social development to social media. Our success will shape the world we leave behind.        

Madam Chairperson,

In his book Altneuland (The old new land) which outlined a vision for the creation of our state, Israel’s founding father Binyamin Zeev Herzl – wrote:

“We will never discriminate between human-beings. We shall never ask what is a person’s religion or race. All a person needs to be is a person – that is enough for us."  

In the century that has passed, the State of Israel was born and today it is a vibrant, pluralistic and inclusive society.  Our Declaration of Independence guarantees freedom and equality to all people and this can be seen in classrooms where children are taught tolerance, in factories where Jews and Arabs work side-by-side, on our sports teams where Jews, Muslims and Christians share a uniform, and in our parliament and judicial system where people of all faiths represent the State.

Madam Chairperson,

Israel will not stand quietly as racism threatens to poison the hearts and minds of another generation. We call on this family of nations to rise up to the challenge and form a united front. Working together we can shed light into the darkest corners of the world and ensure that all people are treated with dignity and respect.

Thank you.