Mayors from across the world are gathering in Greece for a major conference on combating antisemitism that kicks off on Wednesday in Athens.
Among participants from fifty-three cities and twenty-three countries is the mayor of New York Eric Adams.
The 2022 Mayors Summit Against Antisemitism (MSAA), will be hosted by Kostas Bakoyannis, Mayor of Athens & Chair of 2022 MSAA and the City of Athens. Athens is the birthplace of democracy, and Greece is home to the oldest European Jewish community. President of Greece Katerina Sakellaropoulou will also participate in this historic event.
“Athens is the birthplace of democracy, and the significant rise of hate and antisemitism we are witnessing around the world is a threat to our cherished democratic values,” Mayor Bakoyannis said.
“That is why this event is so important and timely, he added. “We see an insidious spread of antisemitism, so there is a need to fight this scourge at the local level as well as to see how these trends are global, and learn best practices from each other towards combating them.”
Antisemitism conference: Mayors have the best understanding
“Mayors and other local and regional decision-makers are the closest officials to the ground in towns and cities around the world,” said CEO of Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) Sacha Roytman Dratwa.
“They have the best understanding of the challenges and the solutions to combat all forms of hate, including antisemitism,” Dratwa said. “They are the ones charged with issues that take place on their streets and neighborhoods, so they are closest to the pulse of their communities.”
CAM is a global coalition engaging more than six hundred partner organizations and nearly two million people from a diverse array of religious, political, and cultural backgrounds in the common mission of fighting the world’s oldest hatred.
The first Mayors Summit Against Antisemitism was held online last year. This week’s event will be the first in-person conference of its kind, the CAM said.
Related: Combating Antisemitism and Fostering Religious Dialogue in Greece
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