Herzog offers compromise to salvage controversial antisemitism conference
President will host a private meeting with Jewish leaders at his home, without far-right European politicians many find objectionable
Zev Stub is the Times of Israel's Diaspora Affairs correspondent.
In an attempt to stem the tide of officials boycotting Israel’s upcoming conference on combating antisemitism over the inclusion of far-right European politicians, President Isaac Herzog has offered a compromise: a private meeting with world Jewish leaders at his home the night before the main event, without those controversial figures.
Some of the people who canceled their participation in the conference have agreed to attend this event, said a source involved with the planning.
According to the website of the conference, to be held in Jerusalem on March 26-27, the event includes guided tours and an evening gala on Wednesday night, followed by a full-day conference at Jerusalem’s International Convention Center on Thursday. The Wednesday night gala has now been reconceptualized as a private gathering for Jewish leaders only.
“The people who need to be happy are happy with this plan,” the source said.
Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt is the latest person to have canceled his participation in the conference, where he was originally slated to deliver a keynote address, his office said Tuesday. He is expected to join the private meeting via video conference.
Other people who have announced they will not attend the conference include French philosopher Bernard-Henri Levy, who had been slated to be a keynote speaker, British Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis, UK government adviser on antisemitism Lord John Mann, veteran academic and activist David Hirsh, German antisemitism czar Felix Klein, and German politician Volker Beck.
Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations CEO William Daroff is said to be weighing his final decision on whether to attend.
The conference guest list includes controversial European right-wing politicians Jordan Bardella, president of the far-right French National Rally party founded by noted antisemite and Holocaust denier Jean-Marie Le Pen; Marion Marechal, a far-right French member of the European Parliament and Le Pen’s granddaughter; Hermann Tertsch, a far-right Spanish member of the European Parliament; Charlie Weimers of the far-right Sweden Democrats party; and Kinga Gál, of Hungary’s Fidesz party.
The conference will also feature many leading figures, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Herzog, Argentinian President Javier Milei, and former US ambassador to Israel David Friedman.
Diaspora Minister Amichai Chikli has said that he sees Europe’s far-right parties as allies countering the rise of Muslim fundamentalism and antisemitism on the continent.
“Our goal was to invite friends of Israel from all over the political spectrum,” a spokesperson for Chikli said. “The way to reach people with different views than yours is to meet with them and discuss your differences, not to shut them out.”
However, his position has drawn the ire of many European countries, who note that many of these parties have their own histories of antisemitism, Holocaust denial, and racism.
Chikli’s invitation has put European Jewish leaders “in an impossible situation,” European Jewish Congress President Ariel Muzicant told Ynet on Wednesday.
“In Europe, we are fighting to keep the extremist parties out of the picture, and in Israel, politicians invite them, because they think that these parties support Israel,” Muzicant said. “They do not. These parties are looking for a ‘kosher’ stamp, and I do not understand why an Israeli minister wants to grant them this.”
The World Jewish Congress, European Jewish Congress, American Jewish Congress, and the Conference of European Rabbis all plan to boycott the conference, he said.
Meanwhile, several high-profile attendees have confirmed that they still plan to attend the confab, despite the controversy. These include Natan Sharansky, chairman of the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy; Yemeni journalist and influencer Luai Ahmed; and human rights activist Ayaan Hirsi Ali.
