Global Forum for Combating Antisemitism 2013
Fourth international conference of the Global Forum for Combating Antisemitism, held at the Ramada Jerusalem Hotel on 28–30 May 2013
| Global Forum for Combating Antisemitism 2013
| |
|---|---|
| Type | Conference |
| Start date | 28 May 2013 |
| End date | 30 May 2013 |
| Location | Ramada Jerusalem Hotel, Ruppin Bridge at Herzl Boulevard, Jerusalem |
| Participants | Opening greetings from ministers of Ireland, Lithuania, Greece and Hungary and from Mario Silva of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance; a video message from Benjamin Netanyahu |
| Organisers | Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry for Jerusalem and Diaspora Affairs; hosted by Zeev Elkin and Naftali Bennett; conference chair Ambassador Gideon Behar |
| Outcome | Ten working groups were to produce an "Action Plan for Combating Antisemitism 2013 and Beyond" |
The Global Forum for Combating Antisemitism 2013 was the 4th International Conference of the Global Forum for Combating Antisemitism, held at the Ramada Jerusalem Hotel on 28–30 May 2013. It was hosted by Deputy Foreign Minister Zeev Elkin and Naftali Bennett, Minister for Jerusalem and Diaspora Affairs, and chaired by Ambassador Gideon Behar, director of the Department for Combating Anti-Semitism and Holocaust Remembrance at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Benjamin Netanyahu sent a video message.[1][2][3] Ten working groups were to produce an "Action Plan for Combating Antisemitism 2013 and Beyond".[2]
Date
The conference opened on 28 May 2013 and ended on 30 May 2013. The programme published on Diplomacy.co.il gave the venue as the Ramada Jerusalem Hotel, Ruppin Bridge at Herzl Boulevard, Jerusalem.[1]
Organisers
The conference was held by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry for Jerusalem and Diaspora Affairs. In a joint welcome, Elkin and Bennett wrote that the two ministries "join forces with many organizations, states and individuals, in the fight against Antisemitism in all its manifestations", and called on participants "to send a simple yet meaningful message: Zero-tolerance to intolerance."[2]
Behar, the conference chair, wrote in his invitation letter that "The GFCA was last convened in 2009" and that "the past four years have shown an alarming increase in the volume of Antisemitism and diversification of its manifestations". He said the highlight would be ten working groups which would "each separately formulate concrete action plans on the second day of the conference (29 May)", to be "consolidated into one concrete document: The Action Plan for Combating Antisemitism 2013 and Beyond". He added: "This will not be a theoretical document, but a real blueprint for action."[2]
The ministry's announcement said the Forum had been "established in 2000" by former ministers Natan Sharansky and Rabbi Michael Melchior and had "since been consolidated by the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs", and that "The GFCA's first large International Conference took place in 2007", followed by 2008 and 2009.[3]
Attendees
According to the programme, the opening ceremony on 28 May was hosted by Elkin and Bennett, with a video message from Netanyahu and greeting speeches by Alan Shatter, Ireland's minister for justice, equality and defence, for the 2013 EU presidency; Neris Germanas, vice minister of foreign affairs of Lithuania; Konstantinos Karagounis, Greece's deputy minister of justice; Bence Rétvári, a Hungarian secretary of state; and Mario Silva, chairman of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance for 2013, on behalf of Canada.[1]
Later speakers listed in the programme included a plenary of the Inter-parliamentary Coalition for Combating Antisemitism opened by Fiamma Nirenstein, with John Mann and Robert Trestan as panellists and Christopher Wolf as moderator; dinner speeches by Nikolay Mladenov, former foreign minister of Bulgaria, and Alexander Vondra, former defence minister of the Czech Republic; a plenary with Muslim religious leaders moderated by Jeremy Jones; lunch lectures by Abraham H. Foxman of the Anti-Defamation League and Avner Shalev, chairman of Yad Vashem; an address by Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein; a lecture by Yehuda Bauer; a steering-group paper from David Matas; a conference summary by Ambassador Gideon Meir; and a closing speech by Ambassador Rafael Barak, director general of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.[1]
Details
The ministry said a highlight of the conference would be the ten working groups, meeting on 29 May, and listed their topics as antisemitism in the Muslim and Arab world; Latin America; the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe; the EU and Western Europe; "Antisemitism in the Guise of Delegitimization and Anti-Zionism"; the internet and the media; "Law, Legalization and Enforcement in the Combat of Antisemitism"; inter-faith dialogue; "Maintaining continuance of Diaspora Jewish Life (Kosher slaughter; Circumcision etc.)"; and "Antisemitism on the campuses and Education for Tolerance and Mutual Respect".[3] (The programme uses "Legislation" rather than "Legalization" for the law working group.)[1]
Working group co-chairs
The programme named these co-chairs:[1]
| Working group | Co-chairs as given in the programme |
|---|---|
| Antisemitism in the Muslim and Arab World | Dr. Boaz Ganor and Itamar Marcus |
| Antisemitism in Latin America | Sammy Eppel and Sergio Widder |
| Antisemitism in the Former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe region | Lesley Weiss and Dr. Tomas Kraus |
| Antisemitism in the EU and Western Europe region | Mike Whine and Marc Knobel |
| Antisemitism in the Guise of Delegitimization and Anti-Zionism | Dr. Mitchell Bard and Dr. Pascal Markowicz |
| Antisemitism in the Internet and in the Media | David Matas and Dr. Andre Oboler |
| Law, Legislation and Enforcement in Combating Antisemitism | Prof. Dina Porat, Adv. Talia Naamat and Michael A. Salberg |
| Inter Faith Dialogue as an instrument to mitigate Antisemitism | Anne-Marie Revcolevschi and Mufti Dr. Abduljalil Sajid |
| Maintaining continuance of Diaspora Jewish Life (Kosher slaughter; Circumcision etc.) | Dr. Dov Maimon and Philip Carmel |
| Antisemitism on Campuses and Education for Tolerance and Mutual Respect | Dr. Charles Asher Small, Prof. Shmuel Trigano and Michelle Whiteman |
The programme said the action plans would be presented to the plenary on 30 May, with moderators including Abraham Cooper of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, Daniel S. Mariaschin of B'nai B'rith International and Robert Singer of the World Jewish Congress.[1] Whether a single consolidated action plan was in fact issued after the conference was not confirmed from the sources opened for this page.
See also
- Global Forum for Combating Antisemitism
- Global Forum for Combating Antisemitism 2009
- Global Forum for Combating Antisemitism 2015
- Hasbara timeline
- Timeline of initiatives on Holocaust remembrance and antisemitism
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Diplomacy.co.il, The 4th International Conference of the Global Forum for Combating Antisemitism Jerusalem 28-30 May 2013 Diplomacy.co.il, 22 May 2013, accessed 2 November 2026.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Diplomacy.co.il, Global Forum for Combating Antisemitism Jerusalem 2013 Diplomacy.co.il, 22 May 2013, accessed 2 November 2026.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Global Forum for Combating Antisemitism - 4th International Conference May 2013 mfa.gov.il, Internet Archive capture of 8 March 2013, accessed 2 November 2026.