Antisemitism has become popular, New York mayor Eric Adams warns
Antisemitism has become popular and those promoting it show an alarming level of organization, often demonstrated by their audience on social media, New York city mayor Eric Adams warned last week.
“The temperature is increasing ever so slightly that we have allowed it to normalize in every part of our lives,” Adams said while speaking at the 2022 Mayors Summit Against Antisemitism (MSAA) in Athens, Greece. “We have become accustomed to it; it has become popular.”
Dozens of mayor and city officials from all over the world attended the event, which was held in partnership with the Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM), Center for Jewish Impact (CJI), and Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA).
“Social media is the flames that continue to fuel the hatred that you are seeing,” Adams said. “Those who are perpetrating hate should not have five million followers on social media when those who stand up for what is right only have 100,000 followers. They have organized to a level that is so dangerous at this time.”
The mayor was also presented with the CAM Civic Leadership Award for his commitment to fighting antisemitism and religious bigotry.
CAM is a global coalition engaging more than 600 partner organizations and nearly two million people from a diverse array of religious, political, and cultural backgrounds.
CAM’s CEO Sacha Roytman Dratwa highlighted the importance of bringing representatives of local authorities together to discuss the issue of antisemitism.
“This conference is unprecedented and vital,” Roytman Dratwa said, “because we have never had so many local and municipal leaders in one place, sharing best practices and learning from each other on how to fight Jew-hatred.”
“It is vital that the authorities closest to the ground are on the frontlines of combating antisemitism and fostering greater coexistence and tolerance between peoples and communities,” he added.
The President of the Hellenic Republic Katerina Sakellaropoulou also addressed the summit.
“At a time when antisemitism is growing worldwide, it is our moral duty to turn memory daily into action, to cultivate historical knowledge, to reflect on the causes that gave birth to Nazism, racism, Antisemitism, and all kinds of racial, religious, and social prejudices,” she said.
Among the cities represented at the summit were Vienna, Paris, Dortmund, Malmo, Albuquerque, Richmond, Ft. Lauderdale, Dresden, Jackson, Mississippi, Graz, Thessaloniki, and Bialystok.
“Mayors and delegations who came for this important summit in Athens are our brothers and sisters in arms, seeing you all in this hall is testament that unity is a powerful antidote in our duly battle against Antisemitism and hate speech,” said Robert Singer, Chairman of the Center for Jewish Impact and Member of the CAM Board of Governors. “While I don’t delude myself that we will completely eradicate Antisemitism in this lifetime, it is still our duty to fight with all our might.”
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