| |  | | | | | | | Marking a sharp departure from longstanding policy, Israel will welcome to its shores this week leaders and representatives of prominent far-right parties in Europe, including some with deep antisemitic roots. How ironic, even mind-boggling, that they are coming to participate in a conference – at the invitation of Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli – devoted to "combating antisemitism."
The fact that Chikli initiated this move without consulting with Jewish community leaders in Europe has further aggravated already strained relations between Israel and the Diaspora. Indeed, at a hearing hosted on Sunday by the Knesset committee tasked with building bridges with Jewish communities abroad, Dr. Ariel Muzicant, president of the European Jewish Congress, described the Israeli government's actions as "a stab in the back" to European Jewry.
During this special Knesset session, it also emerged that Chikli – despite the portfolio he holds – has little to no contact these days with the Jewish communities in Europe, much preferring the company of his Christian buddies on the far right.
In our coverage of the Knesset committee hearing, Liza Rozovsky and I review the latest developments in the growing backlash against this unprecedented gathering.
Weighing in on the matter, Shimon Stein and Moshe Zimmerman write in an op-ed that rather than help combat antisemitism, by collaborating with such far-right extremists, Israel risks exposing Jews around the world to even more hatred.
On a lighter note, Ronen Tal interviews British writer and sociologist Keith Kahn-Harris on his new book, in which he argues that if Jews don't want to be targeted by antisemites, they should strive to be less exceptional and, well, more boring. | | |
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