May 5, 2004

The Anti-Semitism Conference: An Inside Look
By Betty Ehrenberg
Betty Ehrenberg is Director of International and Communal Affairs of the Orthodox Union

Betty Ehrenberg was a member of the U.S. Delegation to last week’s Conference on Anti-Semitism in Berlin.

My arrival on a rainy late April morning in gray Berlin was the beginning of an experience for which I had prepared for weeks, ever since Secretary of State Powell appointed me as a member of the United States delegation to the Conference on Anti-Semitism, which was being convened under the auspices of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the third most important European regional group, after NATO and the European Union.

I couldn't help but think of the irony of the setting. Fifty-nine years after the fall of Berlin and the end of the Holocaust, here I was, the daughter of an Auschwitz survivor and a Kristallnacht refugee, in the Foreign Ministry of the Federal Republic of Germany, steps away from what had been the seat of Hitler's government and a few miles from Wannsee, where the Holocaust was planned. I had come to Berlin to join a thousand people from all over Europe, Central Asia, and North America, to confront the rising tide of anti-Semitism -- not as history, but as current event. Here in Berlin, fifty-five countries had come together to denounce anti-Semitism and commit to take measures to fight it.

The members of the U.S. delegation, with whom I had worked for years in my capacity as Director of International and Communal Affairs of the OU, worked together seamlessly -- and I was proud to be among them. Headed by the inimitable Ed Koch, the former mayor of New York whose legendary lack of reticence proved especially useful and appropriate in forums and meetings, we were guided by Ambassador Stephen Minikes, the United States Ambassador to the OSCE, a determined fighter and seasoned diplomat with a unique direct style. Representatives Chris Smith (R-NJ) and Ben Cardin (D-MD) were the Congressional delegates. Watching the three of them "working" the various delegations, proposing and persuading, was both an inspiration and eye-opener. Partisanship was completely laid aside as they worked determinedly to see that the goals of the Conference would be achieved. I was inspired by their sincerity and profound dedication to the cause.

The presence of Secretary of State Colin Powell compounded the excitement; I couldn't help noticing that all eyes followed him wherever he went. With his presence the glamour and prestige of the Conference increased exponentially and made it clear that there would be meaningful results and not just talk.

Were it not for the combined determination of the Bush Administration and German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer, the Conference would not have taken place. Almost sixty years have passed and the former enemies in World War II were now the staunchest allies pushing the rest of the world to stamp out an age-old vicious hatred. The Conference had originated as the brainchild of Smith, Cardin, and German professor and Member of Parliament Gert Weisskirchen, a passionate activist with a shock of white hair falling into his eyes, whose contagious enthusiasm seemingly influenced everyone. The three are living proof, I thought, of how only a few individuals can make a great difference.

One-on-one meetings by our group with individual delegations -- such as France, the United Kingdom and Israel -- were an integral part of the proceedings. I entered a meeting just in time to hear the British minister end a sentence with, "...and we oppose the targeted assassinations," then watch Koch disdainfully respond with, "And if you came up against Bin Laden today, wouldn't you see fit to get rid of him?" to which the minister had no good reply. In answer to the former Mayor's perpetual question, "How am I doing?" the answer was, "Just fine, Ed."

I delivered my speech on the "new " anti-Semitism on April 29, and it did not escape me that this was one day shy of fifty-nine years since Adolph Hitler committed suicide in his bunker in Berlin on April 30, 1945. In the great hall of the German Foreign Ministry I thought of my parents, and filled with emotion, I declared:

"This new anti-Semitism is like a cancer that can quickly infect many countries. The same radicalized extremist Muslims who threaten Jews perpetrated the horrific bombing of Spain's commuter railway. The Spain attack, like those in Istanbul and at the Pentagon, are important wake up calls for all of us. When civilized nations fail to combat anti-Semitism, it is only a matter of time before those who hate the Jews spread their hatred towards others. Jews may be the first victims and targets, but they are never the last ones. Self-interest, then, to say nothing of simple decency, requires the nations of the OSCE region to act vigorously to extinguish resurgent anti-Semitism."

Not too many years ago one could not have imagined that we, hundreds of Conference delegates, would be standing on the steps of the Chancellery, listening to the words of welcome from a German Chancellor to an Israeli President, as Gerhard Schroeder greeted Moshe Katzav. As I watched the German and Israeli flags waving side by side through the window, I could only wonder at the strange twists and turns of history.

The gathering began with Eli Weisel sounding the alarm and closed with Natan Sharansky's warnings and the emphatic bang of the gavel. The Conference Chairman's final Declaration was unprecedented in Europe: a resounding condemnation of all acts of anti-Semitism and the commitment of fifty-five countries to act decisively against it. The problem, of course, is far from solved, but contrary to the skepticism of some critics, the achievements of the Conference were significant. Demonization of Israel was identified for what it is -- anti-Semitism. For the first time, OSCE members will commit to monitoring hate crimes, tracking bias crime statistics and issuing public reports. Best practices to help prevent anti-Semitism and racism would be shared. For once, the disease would be diagnosed and could be treated.

The world is finally confronting the poison of anti-Semitism. We must redouble our efforts on a global scale to protect our freedoms and to make it ever more difficult for anti-Semitism and bigotry to take root.

Betty Ehrenberg with the U.S. Ambassador to the OSCE, Stephen Minikes

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