President Isaac Herzog, on the occasion of Antisemitism Awareness Week, hosted friends of Israel from across the world on Wednesday and held a panel with Jewish community heads about the realities of modern-day Jew-hatred.
Natan Sharansky and the CEO of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, William Daroff, were among the panel speakers.
The President also delivered a speech during the event, where he called for collective action against antisemitism and emphasized the critical importance of Jewish unity in the face of the challenges faced by world Jewry.
President Herzog said, “Jewish unity is not just an idea—it is a living, breathing force. We feel it most deeply when we stand together and demand the immediate release of our hostages.”
Addressing Ayelet Samerano, whose son Yonatan is currently being held captive in Gaza, President Herzon expressed, “Ayelet, your courage is our courage. Your pain is our pain. And your fight is our fight,” he said. “We will not stop. We will not rest. We will not be silent until Yonatan and every single one of our hostages are home.”
“The fact is, that there is no circumstance and no equation in which negating the right of the Jewish people to live safely in their one and only nation-state is not antisemitism. To invalidate the existence of the singular Jewish national home, is to declare the world has no place for Jews,” Herzog told the attendees. “As President of the democratic nation-state of the Jewish People, a state in which all are equal—I say to you, Jewish leaders and activists Fight back! Don’t give up! To my Jewish brothers and sisters I say: I understand your concern for the safety of your communities, and for the future of your children. I understand your pain and outrage. I understand your concern for Jewish life, period. I also understand- and I share your worries in this urgent battle. The State of Israel is your full partner, and we are all in this battle.”
Thanking those combatting antisemitism
President Herzog also expressed his gratitude to US President Donald Trump, in reference to the action Trump’s administration took against Columbia University – one of many colleges accused of being a hotbed for antisemitism.Despite the rising hate, however, the President noted a renewed sense of Jewish pride and identity in response. “We have seen the Jews of October 8th—those whose Jewish identity was not the predominant factor in their lives—declare with strength: ‘We are Jewish!’”
Concluding his address, the President reaffirmed Israel’s commitment to fighting antisemitism at every level and called for continued unity in the battle for truth and justice. “In our fight for the values of liberty and tolerance, our absolute commitment to one another is our greatest strength,” he summarized.
Minister for Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism, Amichai Chikli, added, “The establishment of the State of Israel did not end the ‘Jewish question.’ Religious and racial attacks have been replaced by an attack on our collective identity – Zionism.”
He noted, “The essence of antisemitism today is an attack on the Jewish people’s right to self-determination. Today, the State of Israel, which went to war in self-defense following the mass massacres committed by Hamas on October 7, is accused of perpetrating genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza. There is no crime against humanity that the State of Israel has not been and is not being accused of. This is the new face of the ancient blood libels.”
He argued, “We don’t need a diplomatic struggle against antisemitism; we need a full-scale war. To fight antisemitism, we need courageous leadership and resolute action.”
