The “International Conference on Combating Antisemitism”, organized by Israeli Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli in Jerusalem on March 26-27, has sparked controversy in Europe.
Chikli, who has previously fostered relationships between Israel and his Likud party with some controversial figures, has invited individuals such as Jordan Bardella, president of the French National Rally (RN) party; Marion Marechal, a French Member of the European Parliament formerly associated with RN and Reconquête!; Charlie Weimers, a Member of the European Parliament from the Sweden Democrats party; Milorad Dodik, president of the Republika Srpska in Bosnia and Herzegovina; and Hermann Tertsch, a Member of the European Parliament from the Spanish right-wing Vox party.
Following the leak of the guest list to the press, several prominent figures expected to attend from Europe announced their withdrawal. These included the Chief Rabbi of Britain, Sir Ephraim Mirvis; British politician and antisemitism advisor Lord John Mann; Goldsmiths University professor David Hirsh; French “philosopher” Bernard-Henri Levy; and the German antisemitism commissioner, Felix Klein.
Mann told The Jewish News, “The quality of some of the dissenting politicians speaking is not high enough to make me drop competing priorities.”
Hirsh made a similar statement, saying, “The UK has nothing to learn about fighting antisemitism from these characters. The agenda includes a number of far-right speakers who associate themselves with anti-democratic and anti-equality movements.”
Hirsh argued that “anti-democratic thought is fertile ground for antisemitism” and that the best way to undermine antisemitism is to “support democratic thought, movements, and states.”
Levy, a staunch defender of Israel, was scheduled to be a keynote speaker at the event. However, the French figure told Le Monde that he had informed Israeli President Isaac Herzog that he would not attend due to the “far-right” guests.
Germany’s antisemitism commissioner, Felix Klein, told Haaretz that he was unaware of the guest list when he confirmed his participation and canceled after seeing who would be speaking at the event.
Volker Beck, a former member of the Federal Assembly, also announced his non-attendance, stating on X, “If we associate ourselves with far-right forces, we discredit our common cause; this also contradicts my personal beliefs and will negatively impact our fight against antisemitism in our societies.”
European Jewish Congress (EJC) President Dr. Ariel Muzicant also sharply criticized Chikli on Tuesday. In a letter sent to The Jerusalem Post, Muzicant said, “For 80 years, we have been fighting antisemitism, Holocaust denial, and the aftermath of the Shoah.”
Muzicant pointed out that far-right parties in Europe are the biggest opponents in this fight, stating, “Many officials and leaders of these parties have supported Holocaust denial, promoted antisemitic codes and expressions, and fought against anti-Nazi laws.”
Muzicant wrote that although some far-right politicians now claim to support Israel, “The motivation of far-right politicians to come to this conference is not love for Israel or protecting Jews, but mainly to get a kosher certificate. And we, Jews or Israelis, should not be used as a kosher certificate.”
The EJC President described the conference organized by Chikli as a major problem for Jewish communities in Europe, arguing that it harms Jewish existence in the diaspora, “as if members of the Israeli government are stabbing them in the back.”
Muzicant emphasized that far-right movements in Europe often oppose liberal democracy, the rule of law, human rights, and freedom of the press.
Knesset Aliyah [the name given to Jewish immigration to Palestine] and Integration Committee Chairman Gilad Kariv (Democrats) called on Monday for the government to abandon the practice of inviting politicians from parties with what he described as “definite antisemitic roots.”
In a letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, Kariv wrote that the invitation “constitutes a deviation from the long-standing policy of Israeli governments and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and directly contradicts the positions and policies of the representative organizations of Jewish communities in these countries and on the international stage.”
Kariv claimed, “The invitation of these representatives is particularly shocking, considering that it concerns an international conference on combating antisemitism, which is supposed to be held under the auspices of the president and the prime minister.”
Kariv argued that “inviting representatives of extremist parties with antisemitic roots undermines the foundations of Israel, the Jewish people, and the international fight against antisemitism,” adding, “It damages the fabric of relations between the State of Israel and Jewish communities in the diaspora and may harm Israel’s strategic relations with Western allies and leading political parties.”
Kariv added, “This step weakens Israel’s leading role in the global fight against antisemitism and represents a disturbing and dangerous regression to the current and future challenges of the Jewish people, as well as many Jewish communities around the world.”
Kariv argued that even though these parties express support for Israel, they should still not be given “an international stamp of approval.”
Chikli’s open support for the European “far-right” is receiving condemnation from European countries.
In December, Romania’s Ambassador to Israel condemned Chikli for holding a phone call with presidential candidate Calin Georgescu, who praised Romanian leaders who condoned the deaths of 280,000 Jews during the Holocaust.
French President Emmanuel Macron also complained to Prime Minister Netanyahu about Chikli after he openly supported Marine Le Pen’s presidential candidacy from the National Rally in the recent elections.
In recent weeks, Chikli also attended the “Make Europe Great Again” conference in Madrid, led by the Spanish Vox party.
Chikli’s party, Likud, also joined the Conservative Political Action Committee’s (CPAC) recent meeting as an “observer member,” one of the most important platforms of the national conservative movement in the West.