Yuli-Yoel Edelstein, Israel’s Minister of Health, speaking at KJF 2020, said that COVID-19 is indeed contributing to the rise of anti-Semitic sentiments in the world, similar to how Jews were blamed for the 2008 economic downturn.
“There are all kinds of theories and conspiracy theories in the world. So some of them definitely are about Jewish doctors and whatever. But I think that, on the other hand, life is a paradox. On the one hand, yes, it can contribute to anti-Semitism, but on the other hand, there are many countries around the world that are kind of, shall I say, looking up to Israel and looking for solutions, and looking for our medical innovations and probably, God willing, the vaccine that would be coming. So on the one hand, there are definitely all these stupid theories about how Jews bring the pandemics. On the other hand, there is admiration and appreciation of what Israel could do and is doing in terms of combating COVID-19,” Edelstein said.
And, in his opinion, those who admire Israel have some grounds – the mortality rate from coronavirus in Israel is one of the lowest in the world.
As reported, Kyiv Jewish Forum 2020 was held online on September 8-9. The forum was organized by the Jewish Confederation of Ukraine in partnership with the Jerusalem Post. On the first day of the forum, the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky addressed the participants with a welcoming speech. According to the JCU President Boris Lozhkin, the annual Kyiv Jewish Forum has become a global platform for discussing the most relevant issues of the Jewish community and the whole world.