Addressing a delegation of more than 130 senior law enforcement leaders from the United States, Europe, and beyond, on Holocaust Remembrance Day at Auschwitz, Sylvan Adams, President of the World Jewish Congress – Israel Region, said that the Holocaust showed how ignoring hatred can lead to the breakdown of society.
“Standing here, in Auschwitz,” said Adams, “we can all learn what happens when we ignore the early warning signs of hatred and how it can erode, and eventually break down the norms of democratic societies.”
Drawing on his family’s history, Adams described how he once believed antisemitism had been relegated to the margins of modern life. “I believed that the post-Holocaust slogan of ‘Never Again’ truly meant never again,” he said. “Well, I was wrong.”
Adams noted that the latest figures on antisemitism, according to the ADL, show that 46% of adults – about 2.2 billion people – hold antisemitic views. In the United States, antisemitic incidents reached 9,354 in 2024 – the highest number ever recorded, nearly nine times higher than a decade ago; and in Canada, there were 6,219 incidents in 2024 – about 17 every single day.
He said that the current wave of antisemitism is not spontaneous but driven in part by coordinated external forces seeking to destabilize Western societies. He pointed to Iran’s long-standing genocidal rhetoric against Jews and its use of proxy networks, as well as what he described as decades of Qatari investment in Islamist infrastructure, media, and academic influence across Europe and the United States.
He also highlighted the role of digital platforms, particularly those linked to Chinese influence, in amplifying antisemitic narratives and accelerating their spread among younger audiences.
According to Adams, these forces operate across mosques, university campuses, and social media ecosystems, creating what he described as a sustained and organized environment of incitement that lowers the threshold for radicalization and, increasingly, violence.
The Iranian threat
Adams also warned of the scale of the threat posed by Iran’s leadership and capabilities, drawing a direct historical parallel. “With the push of a button, Ayatollah Khamenei could have done what it took Hitler many years to accomplish,” he said, referring to the potential consequences of unchecked nuclear escalation and the explicit threats made by the Iranian regime toward Israel.
In his closing remarks, Adams delivered a direct and urgent appeal to the assembled law enforcement leaders: “You have heard the analysis. You understand the patterns. But now I ask you to do something much simpler: look around you,” he said.
“The Holocaust survivors are here. They are sitting beside us. Look them in the eyes. See what was taken from them when hatred was ignored, when it was rationalized, when it was allowed to grow. We stand here in Auschwitz, where the unthinkable became reality… because too many people saw the signs and did not act.”