Israel’s President Isaac Herzog lamented the rise of antisemitism on Monday in a meeting at his residence in Jerusalem with the advisory board of the global Combat Antisemitism Movement.
“We need collaborations to combat antisemitism,” Herzog said, commending the work of the organization, calling it a “just cause” and saying the group “saves lives.”
The CAM delegation was led by founder Adam Beren and new CAM Advisory Board Chair Natan Sharansky, and included leaders of prominent Jewish and non-Jewish organizations, former global government and diplomatic figures, academics and others involved in fighting Antisemitism.
“Almost one thousand governments and organizations have adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) Working Definition of Antisemitism, which is a core focus of CAM’s work,” Beren noted.
“Antisemitism is no longer the purview of one side or the other on the political or ideological spectrum, so we need to have a very clear definition of what constitutes Antisemitism for government and law enforcement agencies around the world.”
The Israeli president, a former CAM Board Member, was “very keen” to get an overview and insight from the group on the state of antisemitism in the US, Europe and elsewhere.
“After the two recent global events, COVID-19 and the invasion of Ukraine, we have witnessed a significant rise in antisemitism and conspiracy theories about Jews,” Sharansky warned.
“The digital space is a major contributing factor which multiplies and amplifies these messages of hate. To combat this, we need a united global response every day and at all times, because it is largely a problem of information, so we have to ensure the right messages are getting across.”
At the end of the meeting, Herzog was honored by CAM leaders with a recognition for his dedicated leadership in the global fight against Jew-hatred and his vocal advocacy on behalf of Jewish communities worldwide during his decades of public service.
They thanked the Israeli president for his steadfast support in the mission of building a better future, free of bigotry, discrimination, and prejudice, for the Jewish people and all humanity.
