The President's Residence in Jerusalem will host an unprecedented conference next week on the fight against anti-Semitism.
The panel will include five of the more prominent global figures currently fighting anti-Semitism: Katharina von Schnurbein of the European Union; Elan Carr from the United States; Felix Klein of Germany; Lord Erik Pickles of Great Britain; and Frédéric Potier from France.
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All five were appointed by their respective governments to spearhead activities to counter the scourge of anti-Semitism in their countries, and it will be the first time they will all sit together on the same stage. The conference will take place on Nov. 4, around one week before the 81st anniversary of Kristallnacht is commemorated across the globe.
President Reuven Rivlin, who will host and speak the conference, is expected to address the absence of a United Nations representative. A recent UN report on anti-Semitism was welcomed by Israel and international Jewish organizations. The report's author, however, wasn't appointed by the UN to deal with anti-Semitism on a permanent basis.
Rivlin intends to call on the UN to devote a permanent representative to focus on the phenomenon, monitor Jew-hatred across the world, and propose ways to counter it in the countries where it exists.
The president will convene a closed-door meeting with the five foreign panelists, to be followed by the public forum.
The purpose of the conference is to prepare the groundwork for a large international summit slated to convene in Israel on International Holocaust Remembrance Day on Jan. 27, which will be attended by dozens of world leaders. Additionally, the conference will seek to discuss the challenges countries are currently facing and propose different methods and tools to bolster the fight against anti-Semitism and improve coordination between the various governments.
In light of the drastic rise in anti-Semitic attacks worldwide, Rivlin has also decided to significantly expand the scope of his attention to the matter.
The five foreign dignitaries who will participate in the conference wield considerable influence in their home countries. The conference will also be attended by some 100 guests, including representatives from the Foreign Ministry, the Diaspora Affairs Ministry and graduates of the Gesher Leadership Institute.
