“Lofty words are not enough. They need to be followed up with deeds”: Diplomats and civil society mark first anniversary of the European Union's Strategy on Combating[...]

The Diplomatic Salon on the European Union's Strategy on Combating Antisemitism and Fostering Jewish Lifetook place today, Wednesday, at the residence of the EU Ambassador to Israel, Dimiter Tzantchev, in Herzliya. This Salon is the first installment of the Diplomatic Salon series created by the Center for Jewish Impact, led by its chairman, Mr. Robert Singer.

In October 2021, the European Commission launched its first-ever comprehensive Strategy on Combatting Antisemitism and Fostering Jewish Life, which was hailed by experts and officials in Europe and Israel as an important step in the global fight against the hatred of Jews.

European Commission Coordinator on combatting Antisemitism, Katharina von Schnurbein opened Wednesday's Diplomatic Salon with a video message, outlining the more than 100 activities to fight Jew hatred and strengthen Jewish life envisioned by the strategy. Katharina von Schnurbein noted that 14 European member states have already followed the EU's lead and adopted their own antisemitism strategies.

A panel discussion on the situation of the European Jewish communities today, best ways to empower them and address Jew hatred was then held, with the participation of Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt, President of the Conference of European Rabbis; Natan Sharansky, former Chairman of the Jewish Agency and representative of Combat Antisemitism Movement; Minister-Counsellor Ruth Cohen-Dar, Director of the Department for combatting Antisemitism at the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Shelly Wolkowicz, CEO of the World Union of Jewish Students; and Jean-François Guthmann, Member of the Executive Board of the Representative Council of French Jewish Institutions (CRIF).

Ambassadors and diplomats from 25 European, Arab, North American and Asian countries, participated in the Salon together with civil society leaders and activists combatting antisemitism. They shared their perspectives on the EU's strategy concerning their countries and discussed challenges and opportunities in the fight against antisemitism.

EU Ambassador to Israel Dimiter Tzantchev said: "For us Europeans, on whose soil the Holocaust was carried out, lofty words are not enough. They need to be followed up with deeds. That's why in October 2021, the European Union presented its first-ever Strategy on Combating Antisemitism and Fostering Jewish Life. It's an actionable plan with many concrete proposals that earmarked millions of Euros for various projects to fight the hatred of Jews and to promote Holocaust memory and education."

Robert Singer, Chairman of the Center for Jewish Impact, said: "The Center for Jewish Impact created the 'Diplomatic Salon' project to offer a shared platform for key players in Israeli society with foreign ambassadors, senior diplomats, special envoys and attachés based in Israel. Through the Salon we covered a critical issue for the State of Israel and the Jewish diaspora around the world using in-depth discussions and extensive reviews of the impact of antisemitism on the lives of the Jewish diaspora alongside fostering their well-being."