“Your clear voices and the work you do are crucial, particularly at such a challenging and hostile time,” the president told the coordinators and spoke about the worrying rise in antisemitism around the world. “We share the understanding that antisemitism is not a Jewish problem alone. It is a problem for all humanity. We are engaged in a bitter joint fight against any expressions of antisemitism – from the right, the left or from radical Islam. Antisemitism is antisemitism is antisemitism. There are no gray areas and there is no option other than zero tolerance. One can criticize us so long as it is criticism. The moment it turns to boycotts and actions against Israel that are influenced by anti-Semitism – we will not accept it.”

Carr, US Special Envoy for Monitoring and Combating Antisemitism, thanked the president for hosting the conference and said, “Many leaders around the world understand that antisemitism is not only against the Jews but against society as a whole. It is a great honor to work alongside such leaders for a better and more just world, and I am proud to call them partners. President Trump calls antisemitism poison. It is important that you know that my country, headed by President Trump,  and my boss Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, stand with you in the struggle for the security of Jewish people around the world and for the State of Israel.”

 Lord Pickels, UK Special Envoy for post-Holocaust issues, noted on behalf of his country that Jewish identity was an important and significant part of British identity and that the fight against antisemitism was for Britain as a whole. His French colleague, Special Representative on Racism, Antisemitism and Discrimination Potier, said: “This is the time for initiating action, not just making speeches.” German Government Commissioner on Antisemitism Klein added, “antisemitism is taking on new guises and working together around the world is vital. This is a global issue and we must join hands to fight it. A strong international reaction must be part of the solution.”

Katherina von Schnurbein, European Commission Coordinator on combatting Antisemitism: “In this campaign, we face challenges around legitimate discussions on the banning of Kosher slaughter of animals or the banning of circumcision. What we have in common is that we manage to overcome these challenges together. We have seen 180-degree changes in the positions of countries after we hold discussions and joint activities. Things can change. We must continue our work because it can lead to change. As someone who saw the fall of the Berlin Wall, something we thought could never happen, I know to say that change is possible.” She also mentioned the recent success of removing hate from the internet, the number one source of connecting around the globe. 72% of hate sites have been removed. 

Following the meeting with the coordinators, the president hosted a conference on combatting antisemitism, marking the anniversary of Kristallnacht, titled “Rising Antisemitism – the New Reality For Jews Around The World”. The conference was organized in collaboration with the Diaspora Affairs Ministry, Gesher and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with Member of Knesset Omer Yankelevitch joining representatives of those organizations.

In his remarks opening the conference, the president said, “Soon, we will mark the 81st anniversary of Kristallnacht. We must always remember that if antisemitism is not stopped in time, it quickly goes from words to broken glass, violence, and murder. We must take bold action. We must be extremely concerned that antisemitism is rising around the world.”

“It is inconceivable that 81 years after Kristallnacht, synagogues from Pittsburgh to Halle are under attack,” the president added. “It is inconceivable that Jews are afraid to wear a kippah in the street, and that Jewish schoolchildren feel the need to hide their identity. We must not accept the fact that in marches in Belgium, on the pages of the New York Times, and in official media across the Arab world, antisemitic cartoons are printed and displayed. Antisemitism has developed and adopted new guises. It comes from the hard right, the hard left and from radical Islam, is expressed online, in the streets, in academia and in more and more positions of power. Antisemitism is spreading to parliaments and political parties in the west - the British Labour Party and the Austrian hard-right party, and in other countries.

“We must act now,” said the president. “We must use all legal tools at our disposal to prevent hate crimes and to prosecute them. We must ensure the security of Jewish communities, not just accept as fact that schools and synagogues needs guards, walls and gates That is not normal! Security does not solve the problem of antisemitism, it just shows its severity. In the field of education, we must find new ways to pass on the legacy of the Holocaust to a generation of young people who will never know survivors. We must develop regulations and technology to prevent antisemitism and incitement on social networks. Social networks can be a wonderful way of bringing people together around the world. But they also allow radicals to spread incitement around the world. All of us – governments, internet companies, and civil society must play our part in standing up to this threat before online hate leads to another real-world tragedy.”

The president also added, “to fight antisemitism we need to define it. We must adopt and use the IHRA definition, which takes into account all forms of anti-Jewish hatred. These definitions must be adopted at all levels.” At the end of his remarks, the president said, “Friends, this is an urgent challenge and the only way to face it is by working together. That is why invited you, special representatives and coordinators in the fight against anti-Semitism, to this meeting.”

Carr stressed his office was created by Congress in 2004.  

The panel agreed antisemitism is a human, not only a Jewish problem. Education is key to combating the growth of "fringe" elements on campuses from becoming the power brokers in the future. 

A larger international gathering on antisemitism is to be held at Yad Vashem on January 23, 2019.