The coordinator of the European Commission for the fight against antisemitism, Katharina Von Schnurbein, paid an extraordinary visit to the "Ganzach Kiddush Hashem" in Bnei Barak last Thursday. The ultra-orthodox institution commemorates the Holocaust and focuses on the religious dimension of the massacred and survivors. Von Schnurbein was attacked on social media for her comments against antisemitism by pro-Palestinian activists who equate Israel to the Nazi regime.
Von Schnurbein arrived in Israel as a guest of the Israeli Council on Foreign Relations, which is under the World Jewish Congress. She participated in a special event held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs: a joint seminar between Israel and the European Union on the fight against racism, xenophobia, and antisemitism. This is the 14th time such a conference has been held, but it is the first time that representatives at the ministerial level participated, with Foreign Minister Eli Cohen on behalf of Israel, alongside the Vice President of the European Commission for the Promotion of the European Way of Life, Margaritis Schinas, and Karoline Edtstadler, the Austrian Minister for European Affairs.
@EUAntisemitism / Katharina Von Schnurbein is a brave women extremely effective and decisive on stopping antisemitism. Keep on the fight, Katharina.
ā š®š± Ruth Zakh (@RuthZakh) June 18, 2023
At the meeting, ways to combat manifestations of antisemitism were discussed, along with the adoption of the definition of antisemitism according to the International Task Force for the Remembrance of the Holocaust (IHRA), which also includes manifestations of hatred towards the State of Israel. "The fight against antisemitism and the preservation of the memory of the Holocaust is a shared commitment of all of us," said Foreign Minister Cohen who added "The IHRA's definition of antisemitism is intended to protect Jewish lives. Attacking Jews and Jewish communities under the guise of 'criticism' against Israel is a dangerous phenomenon that must be fought against.
In her remarks during her visit to Israel, von Schnurbein referred to the new forms of antisemitism, which she says pose new challenges to the international community - including social networks, which provide a platform for antisemitic and anti-Israel messages, as well as artificial intelligence, which is capable of distorting history and creating, for example, a false representation of diminishing the dimension of the horror in the concentration camps.
Katharina von Schnurbein, the @EU_Commission Coordinator on combating #antisemitism, visited #Israel this past week. She used the opportunity to highlight the crucial role of #IHRA in identifying hate speech.
ā #AdoptIHRA (@AdoptIHRA) June 18, 2023
@kschnurbein @EUAntisemitism https://t.co/tFmeusoJU1
As if to prove the point, von Schnurbein was then attacked on Twitter by Palestinian organizations about the things she said. The attacking parties claimed that the acts perpetrated by Israel on the Palestinians are seemingly as serious as those that took place during the Holocaust.
