"Anti-Semitism is not a Jewish problem alone. It is a problem for all humanity. We are engaged in a bitter joint fight against any expressions of anti-Semitism – from the Right, the Left or from radical Islam," President Reuven Rivlin said Monday at a meeting with special envoys from Europe and the US charged with leading the fight against anti-Semitism in their home countries.
Officials who attended the meeting at the President's Residence included European Commission Coordinator on Combating Anti-Semitism Katherina von Schnurbein; US Special Envoy for Monitoring and Combating anti-Semitism Elan Carr; UK Special Envoy for post-Holocaust issues Lord Eric Pickles; German Government Commissioner on Anti-Semitism Dr. Felix Klein; and French Special Representative on Racism, Anti-Semitism and Discrimination Frédéric Potier, all of whom provided Rivlin with overviews of their work.
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"Your clear voices and the work you do are crucial, particularly at such a challenging and hostile time," the president told the representatives.
"Anti-Semitism is anti-Semitism is anti-Semitism. There are no gray areas and there is no option other than zero tolerance. One can criticize us so long as it is criticism. The moment it turns to boycotts and actions against Israel that are influenced by anti-Semitism – we will not accept it," he said.
Carr said, "Many leaders around the world understand that anti-Semitism is not only against the Jews, but against society as a whole. It is a great honor to work alongside such leaders for a better and more just world, and I am proud to call them partners.
"It is important that you know that my country, headed [by my] boss President Trump, and my boss Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, stand with you in the struggle for the security of Jewish people around the world and for the State of Israel," Carr added.
Pickles said that Jewish identity was an important and significant part of British identity, and that the fight against anti-Semitism was for Britain as a whole.
Potier declared that "this is the time for initiating action, not just making speeches," and Klein added, "anti-Semitism is taking on new guises and working together around the world is vital. This is a global issue and we must join hands to fight it."
Following the meeting, Rivlin marked the anniversary of Kristallnacht with a conference under the title, "Rising Anti-Semitism – the New Reality For Jews Around The World," which was organized in conjunction with the Diaspora Affairs Ministry, Gesher and the Foreign Ministry.
"Soon, we will mark the 81st anniversary of Kristallnacht," Rivlin told the conference.
"We must always remember that if anti-Semitism is not stopped in time, it quickly goes from words to broken glass, violence and murder. We must take bold action. We must be extremely concerned that anti-Semitism is rising around the world … It is inconceivable that 81 years after Kristallnacht, synagogues from Pittsburgh to Halle are under attack," Rivlin added.
Rivlin said, "We must use all legal tools at our disposal to prevent hate crimes and to prosecute them. We must ensure the security of Jewish communities, not just accept as fact that schools and synagogues needs guards, walls and gates."
Turning to specific courses of action, Rivlin praised social media as a powerful tool for spreading messages to combat hatred, and said that the definition of anti-Semitism as worded by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance should be "adopted at all level," as it takes into account "all forms of anti-Jewish hatred."
