Ron Lauder, president of the World Jewish Congress, stressed at the Israel Hayom summit that the world is facing a broad assault rather than an isolated moment: an assault on truth, on democracy and on the safety of Jews everywhere. He said that for years people warned about rising antisemitism, yet many dismissed it, insisting it was only "angry kids" or claiming there was "no antisemitism in America." Reality, he said, proved otherwise. Over the past two years, there has been a sharp rise in antisemitic violence in Europe and the US. He cited a couple from Washington murdered on their way to the Israeli Embassy, a woman burned to death during a protest in Colorado, and a Jew stabbed in Berlin while visiting a memorial.
According to Lauder, chants of "from the river to the sea" and calls for a global intifada are calls for the elimination of Jews. He noted that in the past, politicians would have been arrested for such incitement. Lauder compared the current atmosphere to the Nazis' attempts in 1939 to stir up antisemitism in America, recalling that several countries refused to accept Jewish refugees, sealing their fate. He argued that even after October 7, the same international indifference was evident, calling that day the Kristallnacht of the 21st century.
He said antisemitism has infiltrated schools, which he described as "the ground zero of hate." He mentioned maps where Israel is erased and children returning home asking whether Israel is an apartheid state. Lauder called for pushing back by using social media, exposing inciting teachers, encouraging public officials to show courage and rebuilding education around truth and reliable history. He emphasized the importance of teaching about the Holocaust, saying that if Jews do not tell their story, others will write it for them.
