A day before the one-month mark since terrorist group Hamas launched attacks on Israel resulting in the deaths of more than 1400 people—the biggest single-day massacre of Jews since the Holocaust—special envoys and coordinators combating antisemitism released a statement sounding the alarm.
The Nov. 6 statement was issued a week after envoys who, under governments and intergovernmental organizations, combat antisemitism met at the headquarters of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
“Many national leaders and heads of international organizations across the globe have condemned these acts in the strongest terms and expressed their full support and solidarity with the state of Israel,” stated the envoys and coordinators.
“At the same time, there have also been demonstrations in many countries—including in some countries and regions which we represent—in which individuals praised these heinous actions of Hamas, ‘celebrated’ the murder of Jews, and even called for more antisemitic assaults,” they continued.
In the United States, there was a 388 percent increase in antisemitic incidents between Oct. 7 and Oct. 23, according to the Anti-Defamation League.
“Jewish communities are fearful and are being threatened,” wrote the envoys and coordinators. “Synagogues and other Jewish sites have been attacked. Schools have closed since they can no longer guarantee the safety of their students.”
The statement mentioned examples of mistreatment toward Jews amid the latest conflict in Israel and Gaza, the latter of which Hamas controls.
“Shabbat gatherings require the presence of armed guards for protection,” it stated. “In some cities, Jews are being harassed and accosted on the streets. Posters of the captive hostages are defaced and torn down. Antisemitism online has surged in an unprecedented way.”
The envoys and coordinators called on governments to provide security to Jewish communities, for law enforcement to be on alert over threats to Jews, for higher education officials to condemn antisemitism on campus, and for influencers to stand by the Jewish community. They also called on social media companies to combat antisemitism on their platforms.
The statement concluded with “Never again is now”—a reference to the rallying cry in the aftermath of the Holocaust during which 6 million Jews were killed.
The envoys and coordinators who signed the statement included the United States’ Deborah Lipstadt, Israel’s Michal Cotler-Wunsh, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe’s Andrew Baker, France’s Delphine Borione, the Organization of American States’ Fernando Lottenberg, the United Kingdom’s John Mann and Canada’s Deborah Lyons.
