Ronald S. Lauder: These are the major issues facing the Jewish people
Antisemitism has never really vanished, said Lauder, 75 years after the end of World War II, and “no one can be indifferent to antisemitism today.”
By ALAN ROSENBAUMPresident of the World Jewish Congress Ronald Lauder(photo credit: Courtesy)
Addressing The Jerusalem Post Annual Conference from Temple Adas Israel in Long Island, Ronald S. Lauder, president of the World Jewish Congress, discussed the future of the Jewish people and our responsibility to work together to improve the world around us. “In our hands,” said Lauder, “we have the power to make things better for the Jewish people and all people on earth.”Lauder, who was present at the historic White House signing of the peace accords between Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain on September 15, expressed confidence that the normalization of relations between these countries will lead to realignment in the Middle East. “The past, present and future of the Jewish people is tied directly to the future of the State of Israel,” he proclaimed.Lauder outlined four dangers facing the Jewish people today – a significant increase in antisemitism, division among Jews of different levels of religiosity, division between Jews in the Diaspora and Jews in Israel, and a lack of Jewish education combined with high rates of intermarriage, leading to young Jews abandoning their faith.Watch the full conference >>Antisemitism has never really vanished, said Lauder, 75 years after the end of World War II, and “no one can be indifferent to antisemitism today.”Friction among Jews causes unnecessary division, he shared. “We should see ourselves as one people always.”Lauder emphasized the importance of Jewish education, noting that it is critical to teach young Jews to “know what it means to be Jewish” and to “know the joys of Judaism.” As well, however, the next generation must be taught the facts about what happened in the Holocaust, so that it never happens again. He cited a recent survey reporting that six out of 10 American Millennials and Gen Z members did not know that six million Jews were murdered in the Holocaust.Lauder announced that he is beginning a campaign to save Jewish schools and establish new Jewish schools in the United States, Europe, Latin America and the rest of the Jewish Diaspora. “Nothing is more important for the future of our people than education for all Jewish students,” he said.
