“If you face anti-Semitism it is the duty of the State of Israel to stand by you. And when we face anti-Zionism, which is also anti-Semitism, you have a duty to stand with us,” Israeli President Reuven Rivlin said as he addressed dozens of Jewish journalists participating in the second Jewish Media Summit in Jerusalem.

‘Together, we must stand up and fight anti-Semitism, whenever and wherever we find it. And we must do it together.” he said.

The president noted that the media and Jewish communities were faced by many challenges. He thanked them for their dedication to the community and to the press.

“You are like a window. Many outside the community look at you to learn about the Jewish community. And the Jewish community wants you to make their voice heard,’’, he added.

He said he believes that ‘’Aliya is still the best way to express your Zionism. But I also believe that wherever you choose to live - in Europe, in America in Australia, Asia or Africa - you have the right to live as a proud Jew.”

Rivlin regretted that the media is always quick to report about the problems Israel faces but hesitates to write about the good things. “I understand the golden rule, ‘if it bleeds, it leads,’” he said, “but friends, as the voice, eyes, and ears of the Jewish community, I urge you all: be sure you give a voice to those working for a better future. Because the world and the community looks to you.”

Speaking at the same conference, Eli Groner, Director-G eneral of the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office, called on Jewish newspapers to focus less on Israel’s foreign relations and more on what happens inside the country.

“It’s an indisputable fact that Jewish journalists around world spent a disproportionate amount time focusing on Israel’s foreign policy. I implore you: take the lid of the pot, step inside and pay more attention to our domestic policy,” he said.

He said that Israelis view their Prime Minister as “the leader of the Jewish world”. “After many thousands of years of exile, we feel that the State of Israel is the ultimate game-changer and that the way Jewish history was felt up until 1948 is very different from what it felt after 1949.”

Some 50 editors, correspondents, bureau chiefs, publishers and keys opinion leaders from many of the world’s top Jewish media outlets, including the European Jewish Press, are participating in the 3-dayconference where they will discuss some of the major topics facing Israel and the Diaspora.

The conference, which was held for the first time in 2014, is organized by Israel's Government Press Office, the Diaspora Affairs Ministry and the Foreign Ministry.