At the International Pro-Israel Summit in Budapest, Israel’s Minister of Education Yoav Kisch delivered a passionate keynote address emphasizing Israel’s resilience following the Gaza war and the global fight against antisemitism. The event, attended by Hungary’s Minister of Defense Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky and CFR Director General Miklós Szánthó, brought together political leaders, academics, and pro-Israel advocates from around the world.
Opening his remarks, the minister thanked Hungary for its “clear line of zero tolerance toward antisemitism” and praised Prime Minister Viktor Orbán for his “unwavering friendship with the State of Israel and the Jewish people.”
Reflecting on the recent conflict, he described the October 2023 Hamas attack as a “barbaric and brutal massacre” and declared that Israel had emerged victorious after a two-year war, “crushing the Iranian-backed Shiite axis” and ensuring Gaza would “no longer pose a threat to Israel.” He also rejected accusations of racism and genocide leveled against Israel during the war, saying that “never has an army acted as morally as the IDF.”
Turning to the rise of antisemitism worldwide, the minister warned that the coming year would likely see “a growing trend of antisemitic incidents.” He urged greater collaboration between governments, civil society, and academia to confront hate, stressing that “education is the first wall in the fight against antisemitism.”
He lamented what he described as a wave of hostility on university campuses, citing the recent killing of U.S. social activist Charlie Kirk as “a direct result of serious incitement.” The minister called for renewed emphasis on Holocaust education, arguing that teachers and educators are “the ambassadors leading this fight.”
Concluding on a note of optimism, he celebrated Hungarian author László Krasznahorkai’s recent Nobel Prize in Literature as a “symbol of the deep connection between peoples,” and called for a future where “no child anywhere in the world hides their Jewishness.”
“Our haters will not succeed,” he declared. “The State of Israel is the most resolute promise that the Jewish people will never again face annihilation.”