Jewish leaders call for action at global antisemitism forum in Jerusalem

The panel was organized by the Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) and part of the 7th Global Forum for Combating Antisemitism, organized by Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The global forum took place in Jerusalem under the title "Collective Efforts for Collective Impact."

 

Uwe Becker, Mayor of Frankfurt, Germany, and a member of CAM's Advisory Board hosted the first ever Mayors Summit Against Antisemitism. He offered opening remarks, stating, "Antisemitism is a reflection of society as a whole, as it starts there but it penetrates other areas of society. I call for cooperation between local authorities to learn from each other and work together against antisemitism.”

Roko Kursar, First Deputy Mayor of Malmo, Sweden, laid out his city's efforts to tackle antisemitism following a series of antisemitic attacks. The Jewish community in his city is 150 years old, and he pledged to be committed to their security. Kursar stated the municipality signed a 4-year agreement with the Jewish community for the fight against antisemitism and preservation of Jewish life. 

Deborah Lauter, Executive Director of the New York City Office for the Prevention of Hate Crimes noted, “We recognize that there is not one way to fight antisemitism and hate. You have to adopt a multifaceted approach.” These approaches, Lauter pointed out "require effective law enforcement, education, and community relations."

Haim Bibas, Mayor of Modi'in Maccabim Reut summarized the essence of the forum: "Mayors in cities around the world are the best line of defense for this kind of hate, because we handle the relevant services, whether education, legislation or law-enforcement. This is an issue which starts locally and if it does not stop there, it will spread nationally and internationally."