The Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) hosted, in partnership with the UJA-Federation of New York, an interfaith and intercultural reception in Jerusalem on Monday greeting New York City Mayor Eric Adams shortly after his arrival on his first visit to Israel since taking office.
At the event, held at the Jerusalem Campus for the Arts, Mayor Adams — whose three-day Israel trip is being organized by the UJA-Federation of New York, in partnership with the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York — met a group of Jewish, Muslim, and Christian religious leaders representing a diverse range of communities that comprise Israel’s vibrant social fabric.
“We’re now at a moment that, I believe, that we have to transcend our desire and our faith to move from worshipers to become practitioners,” Mayor Adams told his audience. “What we learn in our synagogues, our churches, our mosques, and our temples cannot really remain in the sterilized environment of our places of faith. We cannot be a globe with so much faith, but we see so much devastation. We must live who we say we are. It has to be more than just reading, we now have to start believing.”
CAM Advisory Board Chair Natan Sharansky was among the distinguished speakers welcoming Adams, noting, “On my last visit to New York, I could meet with leaders of so many different communities, faiths, and organizations, and you can see here tonight the representatives of so many different groups, and, in spite of whatever is said, Israel, and Jerusalem, is a very good place for all these people to meet, work, and live together, and to fight for our mutual desire to live in freedom and peace.”
CAM CEO Sacha Roytman Dratwa stated, “Mayor Adams has shown a dedicated commitment to fighting antisemitism and religious bigotry of all forms, and we are so pleased to welcome him to Israel. Last fall, at the Mayor’s Summit Against Antisemitism in Athens, Greece, we recognized Mayor Adams with the CAM Civil Leadership Award for his proactive leadership and steadfast allyship in securing and nurturing Jewish life in New York City, and we look forward to continued collaboration with him in the collective effort to build a better future, free of discrimination, hatred, and prejudice, for the Jewish people and all humanity.”
On Wednesday, Mayor Adams’s trip to Israel will conclude in Tel Aviv with his participation in the “White City Soiree” to celebrate New York-Tel Aviv economic ties. The gathering, with guests including top Israeli business, finance, and technology figures, is being co-sponsored by CAM, F2 Venture Capital, and Ximus Forum.
