Mayor Uwe Becker of Frankfurt, Germany. Photo: embassies.gov.il.

JNS.org – Mayors from around the world have announced a coalition to combat antisemitic and anti-Israel sentiment.

Announcing the launch last week of a Global Mayors Coalition Against Hate, Antisemitism and BDS were Mayor Uwe Becker of Frankfurt, Germany; Mayor Gabriel Groisman of Bal Harbour, Fla.; and Mayor Haim Bibas of Modi’in-Maccabim-Reut in Israel.

The announcement was at the MuniWorld Conference—the annual international municipal conference hosted by the Federation of Local Authorities in Israel—after a meeting led by Becker, Groisman and Bibas, along with mayors from Spain and Argentina. They talked about having a united, strong approach to halt discrimination and hatred worldwide, including antisemitic movements such as BDS.

“Given the meteoric rise of hatred and antisemitism around the world, everyone must play a role in this important fight. As mayors, we share a bond and a goal of making the lives of our residents better on all fronts,” said Groisman. “This coalition is a powerful statement against hate and hateful movements such as BDS and will be an important tool for mayors around the world to share ideas and resources in fighting hate of all forms, antisemitism included.”

Becker noted that “this common initiative of international mayors against the antisemitism and the BDS movement is a strong signal of solidarity with the State of Israel, and a clear message against antisemitism and those who try to spread hate against Jews in the world.”