For over 75 years, the State of Israel has taken pride in protecting worldwide Jewry as well as its own citizens. The current surge in antisemitism, however, reveals a collapse in this dual promise and obligates Diaspora leaders to adopt a new assertiveness toward distracted decision-makers in Jerusalem.

The Basic Law of the Jewish state establishes Diaspora well-being as a priority: “The State shall strive to secure the welfare of members of the Jewish People and of its citizens who are in straits and in captivity due to their Jewishness or due to their citizenship.” Additionally, the law promises “to preserve the cultural, historical, and religious heritage of the Jewish People among Jews of the diaspora.”

These are not empty words. In the past, Jerusalem has frequently fulfilled those pledges. Some efforts were small scale, as when Israel’s parliament lobbied European governments not to ban kosher meat. Others were larger, as when Israeli diplomats won the right of Jews “in captivity” to emigrate from hostile states, notably the Soviet Union and Syria. Most ambitiously, Israeli planes rescued Jews “in straits” from countries such as Yemen, Iraq and Ethiopia, airlifting them to safety in Zion. In brief, Israel’s existence strengthened the Diaspora.

That changed, however, as Palestinians replaced Arab states as Israel’s main enemy. With this, anti-Israel narratives gained far more traction in the West. If Iraqi tyrant Saddam Hussein’s rants had minimal appeal, model Bella Hadid and Kneecap’s musicians reach vast audiences, while Israel-hating politicians rise to prominence and major media sympathize with Palestinian rejectionism. The “Free Palestine” campaign, the university encampments, and boycotts of Israel result from the perception — however inaccurate — that the terrorist state Israel occupies, oppresses, torments and ethnically cleanses Palestinians in its pursuit of imperialist and genocidal goals.

One shocking symptom has been the unprecedented step of a democratically elected prime minister (of Spain)........

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