On March 16th, 2021, Frankfurt am Main partnered with the Combat Anti-Semitism Movement to host the first-ever Mayors Summit Against Anti-Semitism. Mayors from communities all over the world attended the Summit and spoke about the initiatives their cities have taken to combat anti-Semitism. The Summit’s four main panels focused on Education and IHRA Adoption, Security and Law Enforcement, Healing in the Face of Trauma, and Interfaith and Cross-Communal Relations in the Digital Age. At the summit’s opening and plenary session, mayors and other government officials emphasized the need to identify both far-right and far-left forms of anti-Semitism, which tend to manifest as racism and intellectual anti-Zionism respectively. Two highlight speakers were Mayor William Peduto of Pittsburgh and Vera Jourová, the Vice President of the European Commission for Values and Transparency. Mayor Peduto powerfully spoke about the Tree of Life shooting in 2018 and how the strength of the interfaith community helped the city and the Jewish community recover. Jourová talked about the rise of anti-Semitism in the European Union, the need for a comprehensive European strategy, and the importance of adopting the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance Working Definition of Antisemitism (the IHRA Definition). The first panel focused more in-depth on the IHRA Definition. In this panel, Mark Weitzman, the Simon Wiesenthal Center’s Director of Government Affairs and a key contributor to a new handbook about the practical use of the IHRA Definition, stated that the IHRA Definition “encompasses the full scope of historical examples of anti-Semitism, but also addresses new realities that focus anti-Semitism through a lens of anti-Israel activity.” The panel also discussed utilizing the IHRA Definition in education about anti-Semitism and combatting Holocaust denial and anti-Zionism. Ronald Leopold, the Executive Director at Anne Frank House, spoke about the House’s education mission, which seeks to actively engage young people in the fight against anti-Semitism. The second panel focused on security and law enforcement. In her opening remarks, Nevada State Senator Jacky Rosen stressed that this is a critical time because the rise in anti-Semitism and violent extremism poses an immediate threat to Jews. She stated that according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, anti-Semitic hate crimes rose by 14% in 2019 and constituted 62% of all religious-based incidents. This panel discussed the importance of preventing anti-Semitism before it begins and the role that local authorities should play in protecting Jews and other minority communities. Michael Masters, National Director & CEO of the Secure Community Network, spoke about the need for cooperation between local, state and national governments as well as members of different faith-based communities in order to foster positive interactions and working-relationships with law enforcement and to ensure that strong mechanisms are in place to report hate-crimes and other religious-based incidents. Ricky Veerappan, York Superintendent of Community Services, provided useful and practical tips for ensuring the security of Jewish communities and determining whether an incident is motivated by anti-Semitic intent or bias. Veerappan explained that it is important to understand the local community on a micro-local level and also be aware of global trends in anti-Semitism. He also emphasized the need for authorities to listen to the victim who was targeted and be sensitive towards the victim’s experience. The panel also stressed the importance of local governments prioritizing funding to ensure the security of the Jewish community. The third panel, “Healing in the Face of Trauma,” discussed the process of healing following anti-Semitic attacks and some tips and resources to aid individuals and communities in that process. In his remarks, Michael Specht, Supervisor of Ramapo NY, said that in order to prevent anti-Semitic violence, we must speak out against and condemn not only anti-Semitic attacks but also hate speech such as stereotyping, demonizing and stigmatizing of Jewish communities. The panelists agreed that coming together as a community is one of the best ways to heal communal trauma and develop communal resilience following a tragic event. Gina Ross, Founder and President of the International Healing Institute, explained that among the first steps for communities in the healing process is for the community to demonstrate support and validation of the targeted victims. Because anti-Semitic acts cause trauma that regulates the nervous system, people develop hyper-vigilance and will feel increasingly isolated if the general public and local authorities don’t show their unwavering support for the victims of such traumatic incidents. Ross further stressed the need to unite, demand wide-spread media coverage of anti-Semitic incidents and denounce any group that foments anti-Semitism regardless of political affiliation. The fourth and final panel of the Summit, “Interfaith and Cross-Communal Relations in the Digital Age,” focused on communities of various faiths uniting to support each other. Nona Jones, the Head of Faith-Based Partnerships at Facebook, gave the example of a Facebook group, started by one Rabbi, which has grown to include tens of thousands of clergies across various faiths. The group helps religious leaders support their congregations during COVID-19. Bartłomiej Ciążyński, Advisor to the Mayor of Wroclaw for Tolerance and Counteract Xenophobia in Poland, stated that it is “necessary to use the law willingly, skillfully, and with courage” to combat anti-Semitism. Ciążyński remarked that it is imperative for religious leaders to make it abundantly clear that complaints about racism aimed at any religious group or traditional heritage will be investigated and prosecuted fully. A concerning issue raised by the panelists was people’s hesitancy to even lodge complaints about religious-based incidents in the first place. Ciazynski stressed the importance of education and inclusion as a means if distilling anti-Semitism and teaching people to understand that such hatred is unacceptable in civil society. At the end of the Summit, Michael O’Flaherty, Director of the European Union Fundamental Rights Agency, reminded the audience that cities are on the frontline in the fight against anti-Semitism and while every city is different, there are generally four steps that localities can take to combat anti-Semitism in their communities. First, cities must either gather data about anti-Semitic incidents in their community or actively support such a data gathering process. Second, local communities must root out anti-Semitism within their own administrations to ensure that all offices and departments are free of anti-Semitism. Third, cities must work to build a culture of respect and tolerance that repudiates anti-Semitism. Finally, it is critical for local authorities to work alongside their Jewish communities in a symbiotic partnership to prevent and combat anti-Semitism. You can watch the full summit here. *Co-authored by Bayla Zohn