Diaspora Affairs Minister Naftali Bennett on Tuesday was set to hold an emergency meeting with Jewish community leaders in New York, following the deadly shooting attack on the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh's Squirrel Hill neighborhood on Saturday.
Among the issues to be discussed were possible measures to contend with the recent spike in anti-Semitic incidents in the United States, which the Diaspora Affairs Ministry intends to incorporate into a more comprehensive action plan in the future.
Among those expected to attend the New York conference are the heads of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, the Jewish Federations of North America and the Anti-Defamation League.
The ADL recently published alarming findings indicating that the upcoming congressional elections have been a "rallying point" for far-right extremists to organize efforts to spread hate against Jews online.
Bennett departed for Pittsburgh on Saturday, immediately after news broke that a shooter had murdered 11 worshippers at the Tree of Life synagogue in the city. He met with Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf, Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto, U.S. special envoy to the Middle East Jason Greenblatt and members of the local Jewish community.
Ahead of Tuesday's meeting, Bennett said, "The entire State of Israel bows its head in solidarity with the Pittsburgh community following the terrible murder. Now the question is how we will look forward toward the future. Anti-Semitism is a real threat to the Jewish people, now more than ever."
"That is why I have decided to hold a special meeting on the subject and bolster American Jewry as a whole," Bennett said. "We will not stand on the sidelines; we will speak loudly and fight against every display of Jew hatred. We have a responsibility to help our fellow Jews wherever they may be."
