Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism

The Ministry of Diaspora Affairs (Hebrew: משרד התפוצות והמאבק באנטישמיות) is a government ministry in Israel. As a ministerial post in the Israeli cabinet, it has gone under several different names and was combined with the Jerusalem portfolio between 2013 and 2015. Between June and November 2005 there was also a Deputy Minister.

Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism

Emblem of Israel
Agency overview
Formed1999
JurisdictionGovernment of Israel
Minister responsible
  • Amichai Chikli
Agency executive
  • Avi Cohen-Scali, Director-General
Websitewww.gov.il

History

The department was created under the as a deputy ministry called the Ministry of Israeli Society and the World Jewish Community in 1999, with a budget of approximately $2 million. Rabbi Michael Melchior was the inaugural minister, with the goal to improve Israel-Jewish diaspora relations, combat antisemitism, and create education and Israel experience programs.[1][2]

The ministry was temporarily closed in February 2007, with responsibilities moved to the Department for Policy and Implementation in the Prime Minister's Office.[2]

In 2023, the ministry organized three delegations of security personnel from the Baltic states, Brazil, and Belgium to visit Israel and provide tools to handle antisemitic attacks in their respective countries.[3]

Amid the global rise of antisemitism during the Israel-Hamas war, the ministry allocated $2.2 million for protecting Jewish institutions and programs in Jewish schools.[4]

In January 2024, the Center for the Study of Contemporary European Jewry at Tel Aviv University called in a report for the Israeli government to shut down the ministry, stating that it was "established for political reasons, lacked vision and substance, and had promoted few initiatives. The center recommended the ministry's duties be divided between the Israeli Foreign Ministry and the Prime Minister's Office. The report's conclusions mirrored the beliefs of some Israeli diplomats that the ministry lacked purpose and did not have the personnel to fight antisemitism abroad.[5][4]

List of portfolio holders
# Minister Party Governments Term start Term end Notes
Minister of Social and Diaspora Affairs
1Michael MelchiorOne Israel285 August 19997 March 2001
2Natan SharanskyLikud303 March 20034 May 2006
Minister of Diaspora, Society and the Fight Against Antisemitism
3Isaac HerzogLabor Party3121 March 200731 March 2009
Minister of Public Diplomacy and Diaspora Affairs
4Yuli-Yoel EdelsteinLikud3231 March 200918 March 2013
Minister of Jerusalem and Diaspora Affairs
5Benjamin NetanyahuLikud3318 March 201329 April 2013Serving Prime Minister
6Naftali BennettThe Jewish Home33, 3429 April 20131 June 2015
Minister of Diaspora Affairs
–Naftali BennettThe Jewish Home33, 341 June 20152 June 2019
7Tzipi HotovelyLikud345 January 202017 May 2020
8Omer YankelevichIsrael Resilience Party, Blue and White3517 May 202013 June 2021
9Nachman ShaiLabor Party3613 June 202129 December 2022
10Amichai ChikliLikud3729 December 2022

Deputy ministers
# Minister Party Governments Term start Term end
1Michael MelchiorMeimad3020 June 200523 November 2005

References
  1. Rosenblatt, Gary (1999-11-19). "Delicate Dance Of Diaspora Relations". New York Jewish Week. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
  2. Rettig Gur, Haviv (2007-02-05). "PMO downplays Diaspora Affairs closure". Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
  3. Klein, Zvika (2023-07-14). "Belgian security personnel receive antisemitism training in Israel". Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
  4. Sokol, Sam (2024-01-03). "Foreign Ministry says it has 'zero budget' for combating antisemitism abroad". Times of Israel. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
  5. Sokol, Sam (2024-01-25). "Damning Tel Aviv University report calls to shutter Diaspora Ministry". Times of Israel. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
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