UK chief rabbi leaves Israeli antisemitism conference over participation of 'far-right populist politicians'

Great Britain's Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis on Monday joined several prominent figures in canceling planned appearances at the International Conference on Combating Antisemitism next week due to the participation of “far-right populist politicians.”

Mirvis’ office confirmed that once he was “made aware of the attendance of a number of far-right populist politicians,” he reportedly decided he would “no longer be attending.”

Several other officials have also decided to withdraw from the Israeli conference to protest against the presence of what they perceive as far-right European politicians, including French public intellectual, Bernard-Henri Lévy, who was set to give the opening speech, Germany’s antisemitism czar, Felix Klein, and Volker Beck, the president of the German-Israeli Society.

British politician and antisemitism advisor, Lord John Mann, also decided to boycott the conference.

“The quality of some of the opposition politicians speaking is not sufficiently high enough to entice me from competing priorities,” Mann argued.

“There is nothing for the UK to learn about tackling antisemitism from some of these characters."

Professor David Hirsh from Goldsmiths University also decided not to attend the conference.

"I was due to participate in the International Conference on Combating Antisemitism, organized by the Israeli Diaspora Ministry on 26 and 27 March, but I have now reluctantly decided to pull out,” Hirsh stated.  “There are too many far-right speakers on the agenda who associate themselves with anti-democratic and anti-egalitarian movements.”

"It is clear to me that anti-democratic thinking is fertile ground for antisemitism and that the best way to undermine antisemitism is to support democratic thinking, movements, and states,” Hirsh said. 

Israeli Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli, who will lead the conference, has been facing international criticism after he decided to invite controversial European politicians, such as French right-wing leader Jordan Bardella, Spanish European Parliament member Herman Tertsch and French European parliament member Marion Marechal. 

Furthermore, there is domestic Israeli criticism against the decision to invite controversial European populist lawmakers. 

In a letter addressed to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Chikli and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, Knesset Aliyah and Absorption Committee chairman, Knesset Member Gilad Kariv (Democrats) called for disinviting the right-wing European politicians. He described it as a “deviation from the longstanding policy of Israeli governments and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and it directly contradicts the positions and policies of the representative organizations of Jewish communities in those countries and on the international stage.”

Until recently, the Jewish state has avoided official contact with European right-wing populist lawmakers whose parties have traditionally often been associated with antisemitism and other forms of bigotry.

However, several European right-wing parties in Sweden, Spain, France and Italy are increasingly advocating pro-Israel policies and view radical Islam as a threat to both Israel and the free Western world. 

In February, Chikli reached out to populist conservative European lawmakers. 

“Antisemitism is a growing problem in Europe due to Muslim immigration,” he explained while addressing the 50th Annual Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations in Jerusalem. 

“The European right-wing parties have a point because they realize the problem and are presenting a solution,” he said. 

While far-right antisemitism still exists at the fringes of Western societies, many European Jews increasingly argue that the main current antisemitic threat emanates from radical Islamic and far-left circles.