On the holiday of Simchat Torah, October 7th, 2023, a series of unprecedented terrorist attacks swept through the south of Israel, accompanied by a massive rocket barrage of numerous cities throughout the country.

The events of October 7th became one of the most brutal terrorist attacks in modern history, reminiscent of the darkest pages of Jewish history and the most significant tragedy of the modern Jewish state.

EAJC is convinced that no political goals and ideas can justify fierce killings and brutal attacks on innocent civilians.

EAJC expresses sincere appreciation to countries, organizations, politicians, governments, and public figures who supported Israel in this formidable time for the Jewish people. EAJC is also grateful to all who have unequivocally condemned the actions of Hamas.

EAJC urges all civilized nations, those who have not yet done so, to outlaw the Hamas terrorist organization and its supporters.

EAJC calls on all those who care about the fate of the Jewish people to continue offering maximum support for Israel on social media, in public statements, and press releases, as well as at the governmental and parliamentary levels, on the international stage, and among civil societies.

EAJC actively supports Israeli security. Over the past few years, apprehending the challenges and dangers, we have made significant efforts and supported a number of projects to strengthen security in the southern regions of Israel bordering the Gaza Strip.

EAJC demands the full and immediate release of all remaining hostages.

EAJC mourns together with those who lost their loved ones, expresses its support to the families of those still being held hostage, and wishes for a speedy recovery to all those hurt by this immense tragedy.

Taking into account the growing international pressure on the State of Israel to immediately cease fire and suspend all military actions in light of the resolution №2728 adopted by the UN Security Council on 25.03 and the ongoing process against Israel in the International Court of Justice.

EAJC condemns the false and baseless accusations by the South African authorities in the lawsuit against Israel in the International Court of Justice and opposes the cynical use and dilution of such an important term as genocide, the definition of which in international law was shaped after the terrible events of the Holocaust.

EAJC notes that it was the Hamas terrorists who unleashed war against the State of Israel by crossing the border and launching a series of terrorist attacks of inhuman cruelty on October 7th, 2023.

EAJC supports Israel’s strict adherence to international law and, at the same time, emphasizes the absolute right of the Jewish state to defend its sovereign territory and citizens from attacks by terrorist groups.

EAJC asserts that based on the principle of self-defense enshrined in the UN Charter, Israel has the right and obligation to continue its military campaign in the Gaza Strip until the following three goals remain unfulfilled: the return of all hostages, the elimination of military and terrorist threats from Hamas or any other groups, the liquidation of Hamas as a political structure, and ensuring long-term security for the State of Israel and its citizens.

EAJC regrets the casualties among the civilian population and those affected by the hostilities.

EAJC is convinced that the responsibility for the destructive consequences of the war on both sides lies primarily with the Hamas terrorist organization, its patrons and accomplices.

EAJC underlines that Israel is forced to wage a complicated, asymmetric war against a cruel enemy blatantly violating all norms of international law, conducting military operations from civilian objects and densely populated areas in the Gaza Strip, using the civilian population as shields and thereby consciously leading to a large number of civilian casualties.

EAJC emphasizes that it is the Hamas organization that continues to be the main obstacle to peace, and the war can end at any moment if Hamas terrorists lay down their arms and release all Israeli hostages.

Taking into account the alarming phenomena of the rise of antisemitism in the world after October 7th and the widespread dissemination of false, misleading information regarding the Jewish national movement and the State of Israel.

EAJC denounces any forms of intolerance on national and religious grounds.

EAJC is convinced that any attempt to justify cruel terrorist attacks under any pretext is nothing but a complete loss of moral compass and a profoundly hazardous phenomenon that requires condemnation.

EAJC draws a clear line between legitimate criticism of the State of Israel and its government’s actions and the delegitimization of the Jewish state as such.

EAJC emphasizes that the Jewish people, like other peoples, have full and unconditional right to self-determination and their own state. A century ago, after millennia of persecution, the Jewish people scattered around the world unequivocally declared their aspiration and dream of reviving the state on the land of their ancestors, which the bonds of their ancient history bind them with. The Jewish state was founded with unambiguous support from the world powers, based on internationally recognized documents not subject to revision. For over 120 years, leaders of the Jewish national movement and the State of Israel have extended the hand of peace and have put forward numerous initiatives for peaceful conflict resolution with the local Arab population based on mutual recognition.

EAJC considers any attempts to deny the existence of the Jewish nation, its historical connection to the Land of Israel, and its right to national self-determination as a clear manifestation of antisemitism.

EAJC condemns any comparisons of Palestinian-Israeli relations in the light of the Holocaust, deeming them inappropriate, distorting reality, and insulting the memory of the victims of the largest genocide and unprecedented event in human history.

EAJC encourages the adoption of the working definition of antisemitism developed by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) and calls on the leaders of states in the Euro-Asian region to consider adopting the definition at the legislative level in order to prosecute physical and verbal manifestations of intolerance towards the Jewish population and the State of Israel.

EAJC unequivocally states that Israel’s war against Hamas is not a war against Islam. The state of Israel is built on the ideals of respecting personal freedom of belief and worship. Many Muslim Israeli citizens participate in all spheres of public life, hold high positions, fight against terrorism and violence, serving in the Israeli army and police.

EAJC opposes attempts to artificially impart the nature of an irreconcilable religious conflict to the existence of a Jewish state and relations between Jews and Arabs.

EAJC is convinced that Islam, like other Abrahamic religions, is based on the ideals of peace, cooperation, and respect for others.

EAJC believes that parties of any fundamentalist ideologies, built on radical hatred and religious fanaticism that justify violence and murder, have no place in the modern world.

EAJC emphasizes that Hamas, being a movement of radical Islam and one of the proxies of the Iranian regime, poses a threat to the security and stability not only of the State of Israel and the Middle East but of the whole world.

EAJC believes in the power of interfaith dialogue and actively works to establish ties between representatives of the world’s leading religions.

EAJC supports Israel’s commitment to peace and openness to peaceful dialogue and cooperation with any forces in the region that recognize the Jewish state and its right to national self-determination.

EAJC stresses the extreme importance of the regional relations between the State of Israel and the Arab states opposed to radical Islam and choosing the path of respite, stability, and prosperity.

EAJC calls on all parties to continue the dialogue, maintain respectful rhetoric, and preserve and develop regional cooperation.

STAYING COMMITTED AND ACTING IN THE SPIRIT of the resolution of the World Jewish Congress on the preservation of historical truth;

RECALLS prior resolutions dealing with Holocaust denial and distortion, including PA 1704 –1; GB 1811 – 5; GB 1905 – 3, and the WJC’s ongoing commitment to combat both the glorification of Nazi collaborators and Holocaust distortion or outright denial;

CONSIDERS the commitment of the VEK and the EAJC to counter any form of glorification of Nazi collaborators, accomplices, distortion of the Holocaust or direct denial of it;

REJECTS any participation or any other activity that can be regarded as such participation or tacit consent in the rewriting of historical truth;

REJECTS any practices that enable the rewriting of historical truth as a practice whereby objective facts are purposely and deliberately manipulated to promote a distorted and false national narrative, for example, by minimizing the scope of the Holocaust, and local participation in Nazi crimes, or by glorifying Nazi collaborators as heroes because of their purported contributions to the struggle for national liberation;

STATES unequivocally that the glorification of any historical figure who endorsed or supported Nazism or subscribed to an antisemitic political ideology advancing the platforms of National Socialist (Nazi) or other antisemitic parties or movements, especially during and after the Nazi era, is unacceptable and all such individuals are to be strongly condemned;

UNDERLINES the fact that Holocaust distortion and outright denial, which has historically been used as a tool to promote and institutionalize antisemitism, continues to be spread via traditional platforms and even more rapidly and extensively via online platforms;

NOTES WITH ALARM that the distortion of historical truth has gained significant support among certain political movements as well as some governments, notably in post-Communist Europe, where the glorification of former local Nazi collaborators is used in the present day as a means of whitewashing the history of the destruction of Jewish communities and individuals and as a tool to achieve other political goals;

RECALLS that while the intentions of nationalist movements in the distortion of historical facts, especially in post-Communist Europe, are primarily used to present their own history in a more favorable light rather than explicitly intending to promote antisemitic or racist policy objectives, such distortions invariably lead to Holocaust distortion and other false pseudo-historical narratives which not only cause harm to the Jewish people, but are also posing a potential existence threat to them;

COMMENDS those historians and scholars around the world who have contributed to correcting such false narratives and calls upon all nations to protect academic freedom;

CALLS on the authorities of the nation-states in the regions where the EAJC operates to recognize the importance of the historical accuracy of their own national narratives, encouraging objective historical research rather than the politicization of national identity and history to the detriment of minority communities and individuals;

URGES international organizations and governments to defend historical truth, to adopt a working definition of Holocaust denial and distortion as formulated by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA); tell stories based on proven facts; encourage citizens to critically examine collective national memory so that future generations can avoid a repeat of aggression and violence.

STAYING COMMITTED AND ACTING IN THE SPIRIT of the resolution of the World Jewish Congress to support the State of Israel:

RECALLS previous resolutions dealing with Israel, including PA0901-1, GB1106-1, GB1510-3 and GB1905-9, which demonstrate the unwavering commitment of the World Jewish Congress and its affiliated communities to the nation state of the Jewish people, with Jerusalem as its capital;

RECOGNIZES the importance of the State of Israel for contemporary Jewish identity and decides to strengthen solidarity with the State of Israel and strengthen ties between Diaspora Jews and Israel and its citizens;

REAFFIRMS its unconditional support for Israel as a Jewish and democratic state, in peace and security and with recognized and defensible borders with a right to defend itself against existential threats;

REITERATES the strong belief of the World Jewish Congress that Hamas, Islamic Jihad and other terrorist and extremist organizations must be held fully responsible for the violence which emanates from Gaza;

CONDEMNS in the strongest possible terms the recent rocket attacks targeting the civilian population of Israel by Hamas, the launching of “fire bombs” and other aggressive actions of the terrorist regime in Gaza, and regrets this senseless escalation of violence and loss of life on both sides; Reaffirms the unconditional right of the Government of Israel to take all necessary measures to protect its citizens and restore security and stability; and calls on the international community to strongly support the State of Israel;

CONDEMNS in the strongest possible terms the Boycott, Divestment and Sanction (BDS) movement and all other attempts to delegitimize and/or discriminate against the State of Israel;

REITERATES its condemnation of the anti-Israel bias targeting Israel at the Human Rights Council and other United Nations bodies, as expressed many times in previous WJC resolutions;

CALLS on the United Nations to treat Israel fairly, as it would any other country;

CALLS on the governments of the countries of the EAJC geography, as well as the entire international community to declare all units and “wings” of Hamas as a single terrorist organization and to firmly condemn Hamas for its provocations and actions;

ENDORSES Israel’s right to defend its borders against threats from hostile entities, including those funded and / or supported by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, including Hezbollah;

EXPRESSES CONCERN regarding the recent steps taken by the International Criminal Court against Israel, which is trying to give jurisdiction to states that are not parties to the Court, to grant state status to non-state entities, and takes the position that the definition of the boundaries recognized by the international community should be decided only through direct negotiations between two sides. which is undoubtedly detrimental to the prospects for peace.

Emphasizing our unwavering commitment to the Jewish people and the State of Israel, expressed in the continued support for the development, consolidation, and mutual enrichment of the Jewish communities of the Euro-Asian region as well as in strengthening the fruitful ties between the Jewish diaspora and the Jewish state,

considering that Jewish life in the Euro-Asian region is forming and developing during a period of cardinal changes that directly affect the security, well-being, and quality of life of the region’s inhabitants,

condemning acts of vandalism and hate speech motivated by anti-Semitic views and directed against Jewish religious, public, and educational institutions,

striving to preserve the historical memory of the Jewish people and give a firm rebuff to the rising wave of anti-Semitism,

emphasizing the fundamental role of the young generation in the preservation of Jewish heritage and the development of Jewish life in the Euro-Asian region,

welcoming the significant achievements of Jewish leaders and communities of the Euro-Asian region in the field of educational projects and the involvement of the Jewish young generation in active community life,

General Assembly of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress

calls on Jewish communities and organizations to direct efforts and resources towards integrating the young generation into the Jewish life of the region and raising new leaders who are able to lead the Jewish people into the safe and prosperous future,

strongly recommends supporting innovative initiatives and creative approach to working with the Jewish student community, developing and strengthening the Jewish student fraternity,

recommends that Jewish organizations develop new modern methods and techniques for informal Jewish education, ensuring youth interest in Jewish tradition and history,

calls on Israeli state and public organizations to pay special attention to educating the young Jewish leaders of the Euro-Asian region in the spirit of commitment to the Jewish state, and thereby contribute to rapprochement with the world Jewish diaspora.

We believe in a strong and prosperous Jewish diaspora, united around the ancient Jewish heritage and the State of Israel. This is the main inspiration behind our joint endeavors.

We respect the uniqueness of each Jewish community and embrace the diversity of Jewish life in the Euro-Asian region. We are different, but our centuries-old commitment to Jewish spiritual values and mutual responsibility make us strong in the face of any challenges.

We support the State of Israel as the historical, cultural, and religious center of the Jewish world while strengthening fruitful ties between the Jewish diaspora and the Jewish state. We are committed to Israel as the home for every Jew.

We revive Jewish life in the Euro-Asian region, aiming to promote the development, consolidation, and mutual enrichment of the Euro-Asian Jewish communities as well as engage the younger generation in Jewish communal life.

We welcome constructive dialogue about the future of the Jewish people and the State of Israel, paying particular attention to the pressing problems currently on the agenda of the Jewish world.

We strive to preserve the unprecedented historical memory of the Jewish people and provide a firm response to the menacingly rising wave of antisemitism. We focus on community building, public diplomacy, social programs, and Jewish educational projects throughout the Euro-Asian region.

We take joint responsibility for the destiny of the Eurasian Jewry and define the future of Jewish life in the Euro-Asian region.

Together, with G-d’s help, we will succeed!