We are living at a time when antisemitism is rapidly changing its language, form, and methods of influence. It no longer appears mainly through old racial theories, swastikas, or openly hateful slogans. Today, it often comes disguised as intellectual fashion, political activism, “progressive” language, and moral relativism.
This is why the Jewish world must learn to think globally.
A global threat requires a global response
We can no longer treat antisemitism as a local problem of separate countries or communities. In the 21st century, hatred spreads instantly through social media, universities, international media platforms, cultural projects, and political campaigns. What begins in Moscow or Kiev quickly becomes part of the public atmosphere in New York, London, Tel Aviv, or anywhere else Jews live.
Modern antisemitism operates as a global system. It can only be confronted through global solidarity.
When words become weapons
One revealing example is Masha Gessen, who grew up in the Soviet Union, worked as a journalist in post-Soviet Russia, and later became one of the influential voices of the American intellectual and media elite. A columnist for The New York Times and a contributor to The New Yorker, Masha Gessen recently received the Pulitzer Prize.
Their personal journey reflects the global nature of today’s information environment. Ideas, narratives, and political concepts now move freely across countries, cultures, and generations.
That is why calls by Masha Gessen for a “new understanding of antisemitism” cannot be viewed as a private intellectual debate. Behind such language lies a far more dangerous trend: the attempt to blur the line between legitimate criticism of Israeli policy and rhetoric aimed at delegitimizing the Jewish state and normalizing hostility toward Jews.
When the IHRA definition of antisemitism is questioned, Jewish communities lose an essential tool of self-defense. When slogans such as “Globalize the Intifada” are treated as acceptable political language, society gradually loses the ability to distinguish between political activism and the justification of violence.
What makes this especially alarming is that these ideas are increasingly coming not from the political margins, but from leading universities, influential media outlets, and respected cultural institutions in the West.
Hatred on stage: the Yulduz Usmanova case
The problem has already moved beyond intellectual debates.
Recently, Michael Novakhov and Bruce Blakeman helped stop a concert in Brooklyn by Yulduz Usmanova, a popular Uzbek singer known for antisemitic and anti-Israel statements.
The concert was scheduled for May 9, Victory Day over Nazism. For those who grew up in countries of the former Soviet bloc and studied the history of World War II, this date carries deep historical meaning.
In Israel, the same day is also marked as the Day of Salvation and Liberation, commemorating the end of the Holocaust and the rescue of the Jewish people from annihilation. It is a day of victory over fascism and remembrance for those who helped save the world from Nazism.
Yet on this very day, a performer who publicly wished “all horrors” upon Jewish “descendants and future generations” was expected to appear in Brooklyn, one of the world’s largest Jewish communities.
This episode shows how quickly the language of hatred attempts to become part of “normal” cultural life.
This is not abstract - this is my family
For me, this is not only a public or political issue.
My son, Yuval Ben Yaakov, was killed on October 7, 2023, defending Israel with a weapon in his hands.
My grandfather Nahum fought against Nazism for four years in the ranks of the Red Army. He was severely wounded, and more than fifty members of his family were murdered and buried in a mass grave in the town of Khislavichi.
For my family, the fight against antisemitism is not an abstract discussion. It is memory. It is history. It is destiny.
A time for decisive action
Mikhail Mirilashvili, president of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress, recently said, “Wherever Jews live, we are always responsible for one another. And now is the time to understand that we are living in an era that demands decisive action.”
This is exactly the kind of global system of resistance to modern antisemitism that the World Jewish Congress and its regional organizations, including the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress, are working to build.
This effort is not limited to political statements. It includes strengthening cooperation among Jewish communities, connecting leaders, advancing public diplomacy, and maintaining constant engagement with opinion makers, media institutions, universities, and governments.
The upcoming anniversary plenary assembly of the World Jewish Congress in Geneva must become more than a symbolic gathering. It should serve as a platform for developing new approaches to confronting modern threats that are becoming increasingly global, technological, and ideologically sophisticated.
Moral clarity as our last defense
Modern antisemitism increasingly attempts to convince the world that Jews “misunderstand” the threats against them. That hatred toward Israel is not antisemitism. That terror can be explained through “context.” That Holocaust memory should no longer play a central role in the moral framework of democratic societies.
But history has already taught us what happens when moral clarity collapses.
Antisemitism always begins with words.
With intellectual justification.
With the erosion of meaning.
With attempts to explain why hatred against Jews is somehow acceptable “this time.”
This is why our responsibility today is not only to defend Jewish communities. Our responsibility is to defend the ability of free societies to distinguish good from evil, truth from manipulation, and freedom of speech from the legitimization of hatred.
Because wherever Jews live, we remain one people.
Dr. Haim Ben Yaakov is the CEO of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress.