The Minister, who is on a whistlestop tour of Britain, spoke frankly about the perils of antisemitism for both Israel and world Jewry. His major concern was that, whilst in the midst of a war against terror, Israel was also faced with an unprecedented level of antisemitism. The media in many of the Arab countries surrounding Israel was plagued with antisemitic articles and cartoons, but even more distressing was the blatant anti-Jewish hatred in Palestinian textbooks. Mr. Sharansky recognised that anti-Israel propaganda had created a real danger for world Jewry.

Board Vice-President Flo Kaufmann thanked Mr. Sharansky for addressing the Board. She commented: “The gap between Israel and the Diaspora no longer exists in the same form as previously. We are all one people, and we desperately want Israel’s dream to live in peace and security with her neighbours to succeed. Mr. Sharansky has provided us with a frank insight into the discrimination and hostility facing Israel today and we recognise that British Jewry must play its part to ensure that Israel receives a fair and balanced hearing in the British media.”