GENEVA — Axel Springer SE CEO Mathias Döpfner delivered a sweeping and uncompromising address before the World Jewish Congress Governing Board on Monday, declaring that antisemitism has become a global ideological movement threatening not only Jewish communities, but the future of Western civilization itself.
Speaking in front of senior Jewish communal leaders, diplomats, and government officials responsible for combating antisemitism in Geneva, Döpfner condemned the worldwide surge in anti-Jewish hatred following the October 7 Hamas terror attacks and delivered a forceful defense of Zionism, democratic values, and Israel’s right to defend itself.
“Right after the images of the victims were seen, the downplaying began. Right after the names of the murdered were known, the justifications began,” Döpfner declared.
Arguing that anti-Zionism has become the modern vehicle for antisemitism, Döpfner stated, “It is not Zionism that is racism. Rather, anti-Zionism is racism.”
“What does not make sense to me is this: Why should Zionism be an idea and a goal that only Jews can embrace?” he continued. “I am a Zionist.”
Declaring support for Israel inseparable from the defense of democracy and Enlightenment values, Döpfner warned that, “A people’s right to live in safety. The right to defend oneself. The right not to be dependent on the mercy of others again. Anyone who questions these rights is not only questioning Israel—but the principles upon which free societies are founded. Anyone who questions these rights is not only questioning Israel—but the principles upon which free societies are founded.”
Throughout the address, Döpfner warned that antisemitism has entered what he described as a dangerous new phase fueled by ideological radicalization, elite institutional failure, and social media amplification.
“Antisemitism is no longer a dark shadow from Austria and Germany,” Döpfner said. “Since then, it has become a global export hit.”
Warning specifically about the rise of extremist ideologies within parts of Western political and cultural movements, Döpfner declared: “We must expose ‘woke’ ideology as a Trojan horse for antisemitism and Islamism.”
“The ‘woke’ movement has decided that the victims are the antisemites,” he added.
Calling for “new thinking and most importantly, new actions,” Döpfner outlined a five-point plan to confront the crisis, including a “zero-tolerance policy toward open hatred of Jews,” stronger action against antisemitic incitement online, expanded Holocaust education, and greater support for Jewish life in Europe.
“If the West—that is, the free world—does not defeat antisemitism, it will destroy itself,” Döpfner warned.
Döpfner concluded the address with a call for solidarity with Israel and the Jewish people: “We shall all be Zionists!”
Döpfner was introduced by WJC President Ronald S. Lauder, who drew direct parallels between the founding of the World Jewish Congress in Geneva in 1936 and the mounting global threats facing Jewish communities today.
“Ninety years ago, a small group of Jewish leaders gathered here in Geneva because they saw the danger emerging from Nazi Germany and understood that the world was refusing to listen,” Lauder said.
“Today, ninety years later, we once again face a dark hour for the Jewish people — and this time the consequences will not stop with the Jews.”
Warning that antisemitism has become embedded across political and social movements throughout the Western world, Lauder stated, “What the world has to realize is that today it’s the Jews, and tomorrow it’s everyone else.”
“What starts with the Jews never ends with the Jews,” he added.
Describing the current moment, Lauder warned: “We are facing the greatest crisis since World War II, and all we see in government after government is Neville Chamberlains and no Winston Churchills,” referring to the danger of appeasement.
Lauder also called for a strategic shift within the Jewish world away from reactive public relations campaigns and toward investment in Jewish identity and education.
“We stop concentrating on the antisemites, and we start focusing on our children,” Lauder said.
“Take all the money that’s been spent on this media circus and spend it on Jewish education.”
Praising Döpfner for his outspoken defense of Israel and the Jewish people amid growing hostility within parts of the international media landscape, Lauder described him as “a righteous gentile.”
“When journalism distorts the news about Israel every day, Mathias holds fast,” Lauder said.
“He reminds me of one of those courageous sailors in the era of the sailing ships, heading into a storm and unwilling to let go of the mast.”
The address formed part of the World Jewish Congress Governing Board meetings marking 90 years since the organization’s founding in Geneva in 1936.
The meetings also brought together members of the WJC’s Special Envoys and Coordinators Combating Antisemitism (SECCA) Network, which includes senior government officials and envoys responsible for combating antisemitism from more than two dozen countries.
The World Jewish Congress represents affiliated Jewish communities and organizations in more than 100 countries around the world.
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