Maayan Hoffman
The Media Line, Mar. 24, 2025
“For some, the inclusion of controversial figures is a feature—not a flaw.”
The list of Jewish leaders refusing to attend next week’s conference hosted by Amichai Chikli’s Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism is growing. The latest to opt out is Anti-Defamation League (ADL) CEO Jonathan Greenblatt, whose organization monitors and reports on antisemitism.
At the center of the controversy is a group of far-right European politicians scheduled to speak at the event, set for March 26–27 in Jerusalem. Critics argue that offering these figures a platform lends legitimacy to populist parties with troubling histories of racism and antisemitism.
Among those who have already declined to attend are German politician Volker Beck, veteran academic and activist David Hirsh, Germany’s antisemitism czar Felix Klein, French philosopher Bernard-Henri Lévy, UK antisemitism adviser Lord John Mann, and British Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis. Some had even been scheduled to speak.
“Some of the people from the United Kingdom who have said they are not going are prominent people in this very field,” said Jennifer Frazer, a senior Jewish journalist in the UK, in an interview with The Media Line. “And the organizers ought to be concerned that these people, who are extremely prominent and pivotal in their fields, do not want to attend because it gives credibility to far-right people. Some of the people Chikli invited raised a red flag. And people should be wondering: If heavy hitters don’t come, maybe we should relook at the attendance.”
“This is a conference dealing with antisemitism,” added Abe Foxman, the former head of the ADL. “When you invite some people who represent parties that still have vestiges of antisemitism on their agenda, then you have a problem.”
Foxman said he never officially withdrew and hadn’t confirmed his attendance, but he clearly disagreed with the lineup. ….SOURCE