By Nachman Shai
Like the flaming arrow used to launch the Olympics in games past, the swastika carved into an elevator of the US State Department this week hit its mark at the center of Western democracy and diplomacy, proving that no space is beyond antisemitism’s reach.
The State of Israel is now called upon to rise to the occasion as partners in the united effort to combat antisemitism and respond to hate in all its forms within the Israeli government, in relation to Jewish communities, and on the international stage.
The severe rise in global antisemitic events following Israel’s last military conflict was a wake-up call regarding how events in Israel directly impact the Jewish world. Antisemitic actors took full advantage of Operation Guardian of the Walls to double down on their efforts by transforming Jewish communities into global targets.
Today, Jewish individuals are perceived as representatives of the Israeli government, whether or not they identify themselves as such. Antisemitism rose more than 500% in the UK over the 11-day event. In the US, antisemitic attacks rose by 69% in New York City alone, according to the NYPD. And these numbers were reflected around the world.
But the issue is ongoing. According to the latest Pew study, over half of American Jews reported experiencing antisemitism in 2020, and the Jewish Electorate Institute’s July 2021 national survey found that an astounding 90% of American Jews are concerned about antisemitism. I hear the deeply personal implications of this data when engaging with individuals from South Africa to the UK to the US who share with me their potent fears. Only recently, we believed that such experiences were reserved for the pages of our pre-1948 history books.
Israel must recognize this new reality, and take into account how our actions directly impact the safety, security and communal life of Jewish communities around the world.
As the new government moves in the coming days to pass a state budget and delegate responsibilities and priorities, it is our duty as the Jewish nation-state to put antisemitism at the heart of our agenda by increasing our investment and streamlining our emergency and long-term Jewish community-resilience strategy.
The stark rise in antisemitism, matched with a fresh mindset in this broad coalition, provide us with a unique opportunity to set the foundation for a new paradigm driving Israel’s approach to antisemitism.
THIS PARADIGM must be grounded in the Israeli government’s formal acknowledgment that the safety and viability of world Jewry is not only central to Israel’s identity as the Jewish nation-state, but crucial to our national security and foreign policy approach.
Unfortunately, in previous governments, the work of combating antisemitism was split across offices, with no driving work plan.
It’s time for Israel to organize the many bodies that deal with antisemitism into one framework in order to provide a more effective and strategic response.
The Diaspora Affairs Ministry is the natural convener to organize and lead activities inside and outside of Israel regarding antisemitism. I’ve started this work informally by reporting to the cabinet how communities are being challenged and in what ways they are looking for leadership and support from the Jewish state.
These briefings are based on my daily conversations with Jewish communal leaders who share with me their experiences and needs on the ground.
At the same time, just this week, I led an emergency forum on antisemitism in partnership with the Jewish Agency and Foreign Ministry to discuss pressing dangers facing specific Jewish communities and our government’s response. Within such a forum, the Diaspora Affairs Ministry holds a unique global perspective, with the ability to connect trends, needs and best practices in the field with the government’s developing tool kit.
Moving forward, I will advocate from the budget-negotiations table for an increase in state funding to combat antisemitism, and request the formalization of my office as the focal point for this effort.
Finally, in addition to our work within Israel and in relation to Jewish communities, the state must show up on the global stage. Ultimately, we will only succeed to combat antisemitism if it is taken on as a united and international cause.
As we saw at this year’s Tokyo Olympics that today’s games are launched not with an arrow but with a torch, which burns through the end of the games.
In the same spirit of global unity and responsibility, the State of Israel is ready to carry this torch both today and in the days to come.
Dr. Nachman Shai currently serves as Israel's Minister for Diaspora Affairs. Previously, he was a Member of Knesset, from 2009-2019 as a member of the Labor party.. Read full bio here.