In a world where antisemitism now travels at the speed of a screenshot, Israel’s Foreign Ministry is trying something old-fashioned and practical: pick up the phone—only now it’s a secure WhatsApp thread. Felice Friedson and Gabriel Colodro report [1] that Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar has launched the J50, a working forum linking leaders from 50 Jewish communities and umbrella groups to coordinate in real time, share verified information, and shorten the gap between a global threat and local responses.
For Michael Wegier of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, the change is tangible. “For the first time, it feels like we’re not reacting alone,” he told The Media Line, describing a shift from isolated crisis-management to steady, cross-border coordination. William Daroff of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations puts the premise more starkly: communities large and small are “under attack” in the same way, from the far left, the far right, and Islamist extremism.
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From Argentina, Mauro Berenstein of DAIA argues October 7 rewired the information battlefield, with social media exporting antisemitism and hardening accusations into slogans before institutions can respond. J50 is built to match that tempo: monthly virtual meetings, regular briefings, and rapid alerts when violence erupts—from attacks cited in Australia and Manchester to the shooting of Israeli diplomatic staff in Washington.
The article also tracks Israel’s own bureaucratic ping-pong on who “owns” antisemitism coordination, and why diaspora leaders wanted a clear address back in the Foreign Ministry. Practical wins matter: Berenstein describes a TikTok reporting guide that took a year to build—now shared instantly.
Read the full article [1] to see how J50 aims to turn scattered defenses into a shared playbook. Felice Friedson and Gabriel Colodro make clear: speed is the point, and continuity is the test.