OSCE Summit in St. Gallen Call for Action, Not Words, Against Anti-Semitism
At a time when religious intolerance and attacks on Jewish institutions are increasing dramatically worldwide, the eastern Swiss city of St. Gallen became the center of international diplomacy for two days. Under the chairmanship of Switzerland, high-ranking representatives of the 57 OSCE participating states met to counter the “spiral of hatred” with concrete political measures.
The OSCE Chairpersonship’s Conference on Combating anti-Semitism: Addressing Challenges of Intolerance and Discrimination has commenced in St. Gallen, Switzerland, a city known for its interreligious dialogue. / Picture: © EDA/Neal Schuler
The choice of venue was no coincidence: St. Gallen has a long tradition of interfaith dialogue. But the topicality of the issue is depressing. As the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Swiss Federal Councilor Ignazio Cassis emphasized in his opening speech, the promise of “never again” is under threat in view of the current violence – from attacks on synagogues to the recent riots on an Australian beach in December 2025.
A wake-up call for democracy
“Anti-Semitism is never just an attack on Jews. It is an early warning system for the erosion of democratic societies,” warned Austrian State Secretary Sepp Schellhorn during the conference. He made it clear that where Jewish life is no longer safe, the rule of law and human rights as a whole also come under pressure.
Austria took a leading role at the meeting and presented its “National Strategy against Anti-Semitism” (NAS 2.0), updated in November 2025. This comprises 49 targeted measures to not only protect Jewish life, but also to make it more visible. Schellhorn's message was clear: “Remembering means nothing if it is not translated into action.”
New fronts in the digital space
A central focus of the discussions was radicalization on the internet. Experts from the OSCE and the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) presented data showing how adaptable anti-Semitic conspiracy theories and disinformation have become on social media. Young people in particular are vulnerable to this “digital violence.”
Programs such as LIKRAT were highlighted as a possible solution. The dialogue project, in which Jewish youth visit schools, relies on the power of personal encounters. Eden Barakow of LIKRAT Austria emphasized in a panel discussion: “Change begins with human encounters – and every conversation counts.” Often, such a visit is the first personal contact that non-Jews have with Judaism, which can effectively break down prejudices.
International tensions and clear demands
Despite the unity in the goal, geopolitical tensions were also evident on the sidelines, as the US, with its new Special Envoy Yehuda Kaploun, called for greater accountability from governments that do not adequately protect their Jewish communities during his first trip abroad. He urged all 57 member states to adopt the IHRA working definition of antisemitism.
The Ukrainian delegation condemned Russia's “manipulation of historical memory” in the context of the ongoing war and reaffirmed its zero-tolerance policy toward antisemitism despite the continuing aggression. Serbian Ambassador Ivan Trifunović recalled the shared suffering of Jews and Serbs under the Nazi regime, particularly in the Jasenovac concentration camp, as the moral foundation for today's fight against hatred.
Focus on sport and prevention
There was surprising agreement on the role of sport. It was identified as a “space for inclusion” but also as a danger zone for stigmatization. Future OSCE projects should make greater use of sport as a tool to embed fair play and mutual respect from an early age.
From intention to implementation
The conference in St. Gallen was the first of four major international events organized by the Swiss OSCE Chairmanship in 2026. The goal is ambitious: to translate existing commitments, such as the 2004 Berlin Declaration, into “coordinated political action.”
As Federal Councilor Cassis concluded: “Hate begins with words and indifference.” The days in St. Gallen have shown that the international community has at least left indifference behind. Now action must follow.