The UK’s chief rabbi, Sir Ephraim Mirvis, has claimed that “anti-Zionism is the new antisemitism” during a conference in Israel.
Speaking Tuesday evening at the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) conference, Mirvis called Jerusalem the “heart of Jewish faith” for the global community.
He told the audience: “Today anti-Zionism is the new antisemitism.
"Yesterday, we celebrated Yom Yerushalayim - Jerusalem Day, 58 years after the liberation of the city of Jerusalem in the Six Day War, and we recalled the ancient connection of the Jewish people to this land. And we focused on the centrality of Jerusalem, not just as the capital of the state of Israel, but the heart of Jewish peoplehood, and more than that, as the heart of Jewish faith.
"For Jews, the very presence of Almighty God is manifest here in this holy city more than in any other place on earth. And God gave this city and this land to the Jewish people for all time. Israel is not just a geopolitical reality for the Jewish people. It is far more than that. It's the centre of our Jewish religion.
"So therefore, if you are anti-Zionist, you are also anti-Jewish. But more than that, you're anti Judaism, and your animosity affects the very wellbeing of Jews right around the world.”
At the same event, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged European leaders not to ‘succumb’ to the vilification of the Jewish State.
He said anti-Israel protesters in European countries burn not just Israeli flags, but American, British, Canadian and French.
“That’s not an accident,” he said, “because the people who are leading this charge are basically challenging Western civilisation [and] free societies as we understand them”, before adding: “Many of them are taken in by these protestors… more than anything is they’re cowed by them, they fear them. [The leaders] want to control the rampant attacks that are then directed at them for having relations with Israel, for having contact with it.
“What you try to do is try to corral your victim when in fact, your countries are the victim. Because what is being done is an attempt to deny Israel, and in fact all free societies the ability to fight these barbarians.”
He went on: “Don’t succumb to the vilification, don’t succumb to this complete aversion of morality. Because once you do, there’s no end to it, but once you do, your societies are in great, great danger. I urge you to fight antisemitism not only because it’s right. I urge you to fight antisemitism because it will save you.”
He claimed Israel is fighting “not merely a seven-front war, but an eight-front war. It’s the war, ultimately, of civilisation against barbarism”, before concluding: “The most important thing you have to do in fighting antisemitism is to stand up and not be cowered. People respect value and respect people who stand up for their own rights. Do not be afraid to speak up. Speak up, stand up for the truth, stand up for the Jewish people, stand up for civilisation.”
The annual IHRA conference, which last year took place in the UK, was hosted by Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar and began with a moment of silence to honour the murdered Israeli embassy workers in Washington DC, Yaron Lichinsky and Sarah Milgim.
Sa’ar said antisemitism has since October 7, “flowed from the fringe into the mainstream”.
It has “dramatically increased almost everywhere” in “the digital spaces and physical spaces alike”, he claimed.
“A major mobilisation is required now. We need countries, civil society, and [individuals] in order to create an effective battle against antisemitism on all fronts. Unfortunately, we are far from that.
“This conference in Jerusalem today is an expression of our collective commitment in the fight against antisemitism.”
