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At the 2025 European Mayors Summit Against Antisemitism in Paris, France, on Thursday, the Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) granted its Global Leadership Award to European Commission Coordinator on Combating Antisemitism and Fostering Jewish Life Katharina von Schnurbein, recognizing her decade of principled and effective leadership strengthening the security and vibrancy of Jewish life in Europe.
The award was presented to von Schnurbein by CAM Advisory Board Member Robert Singer at the Hôtel de Ville in front of an audience of more than 130 municipal leaders from across the European continent.
CAM described von Schnurbein as a principled, thoughtful, and steadfast ally to Jewish communities and praised her integrity and consistent commitment to confronting threats facing Jews across the continent. Her work has helped build an unprecedented European framework for countering antisemitism, including the EU Strategy on Combating Antisemitism and Fostering Jewish Life, which has become a model for governments worldwide.
For ten years, von Schnurbein has mobilized national and local governments, connected small and often isolated Jewish communities to European institutions, and expanded opportunities for civil society engagement. CAM noted her leadership in responding to persistent antisemitic hostility, including the surge of Israel-related antisemitism in the aftermath of the October 7th massacre.
Accepting the award, von Schnurbein thanked CAM and the mayors gathered at the summit. She spoke about the importance of bridge building, civic courage, and the central role of cities in shaping safe and inclusive societies “From a very early time on, I have been engaged in bridge building and standing up,” she said. “That is something my parents instilled in us.”
Von Schnurbein acknowledged the rise in antisemitic incidents across Europe and said coordinated action was urgently needed. “Antisemitism is toxic to our society, and so we need to address it. No form of antisemitism should go unchecked,” she emphasized.
She noted that when Jewish children saw their schools as fortresses and families feared attending places of worship, society as a whole was in danger.
She also pointed to the mass demonstrations in Paris following the October 7th attacks as a powerful sign of solidarity and hope. “Hundreds of thousands of Parisians went to the streets to demonstrate against antisemitism, to raise their voices,” she said.
Von Schnurbein highlighted progress driven by the EU Strategy on Combating Antisemitism and Fostering Jewish Life, pointing to national and local action plans and the wider adoption of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) Working Definition of Antisemitism.
Lasting change, she underscored, ultimately depended on action at the city level. “Unless it permeates to the cities and to the neighborhoods, nothing changes for Jewish communities,” she said. “So the action locally is key.”
