UNITED NATIONS (VINnews) — Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations launched an international Task Force on Combating Antisemitism on Wednesday, saying the world body can no longer treat rising Jew-hatred as a problem of words rather than action.

Ambassador Danny Danon said the initiative was formed with the support of multiple countries and is intended to turn condemnations into coordinated policy. He pointed to antisemitism on streets, campuses, synagogues and inside the United Nations itself.

“An institution founded in the wake of the Holocaust cannot turn a blind eye to it,” Danon said after the launch. With the election of a new secretary-general approaching, he added that fighting antisemitism “must be a top priority.”

The Israeli mission said representatives of dozens of countries took part in the first meeting, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Argentina and Slovakia. Participants are expected to identify emerging threats, develop practical tools and coordinate diplomatic responses.

Danon said governments have too often declared concern without following through. “The words ‘Never Again’ were not meant to be a slogan. They were meant to be a commitment,” he told journalists at a Security Council stakeout. “Words, declarations and statements are not enough. It is time for action.”

He cited a reported 136% increase in antisemitic incidents across the seven countries with the largest Jewish communities outside Israel compared with the period before the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas massacre. Danon called the surge an international problem that requires an international response and urged additional governments to join the effort.

Jeff Bartos, the U.S. representative to the United Nations for management and reform, described antisemitism as a “global pandemic” and criticized what he called bias by some U.N. special rapporteurs. Katharina von Schnurbein, the European Union coordinator on combating antisemitism, said it is “fully unacceptable” that Jews in many places hide their identity in public. “There can be no excuse for antisemitism,” she said. Rabbi Mark Goldfeder of the National Jewish Advocacy Center told the meeting that governments should measure results by prosecutions, not statements.

Danon said the task force will seek measurable recommendations rather than symbolic language and will address antisemitism both outside the organization and “right here within the walls” of the United Nations. He stressed that the fight is not Israel’s responsibility alone.

“This mission is the responsibility of the entire international community,” he said..