Combating Antisemitism:

Strategies for Change

by Leah Goldstein

In April, Chairman of the Yad Vashem Directorate Avner Shalev accompanied President Moshe Katsav to Germany in order to participate in Conference on Antisemitism organized by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). The Conference was held at the invitation of Germany's Foreign Minister, Joschka Fischer, in the country’s Foreign Ministry in Berlin. Conference delegates from the 55 participating European, Central Asian and North American states addressed a variety of measures to combat antisemitism throughout the OSCE region. These included anti-discrimination legislation and law enforcement, collecting and analyzing hate crime statistics, inter-faith and inter-community dialogue, education, and raising awareness. Separate workshops focused on concrete measures and efficient practices already implemented in OSCE States—including Holocaust education, the role of NGOs, Jew-hatred on the Internet, and contemporary antisemitism.

Avner Shalev addressed the third session, dedicated to the role of education in combating antisemitism, and moderated by Yad Vashem Academic Advisor Professor Yehuda Bauer. During his speech, Shalev stressed the clear and present dangers of antisemitism in all spheres of life, not only for the Jewish people, but also for democracy and basic human ethics. Recognizing that antisemitism is wrong is not enough, he explained: the subject must be studied at a deeper level within the context of the Holocaust.  Shalev proposed establishing a network of training centers linked to other institutions worldwide in order to provide senior educators and academics with “the know-how in developing educational strategies and in providing teachers with the necessary tools and knowledge to deal with this complex and critical subject.”

Keynote conference speakers included President of Germany Johannes Rau, Nobel laureate Professor Elie Wiesel, and President of the Foundation pour la Mémoire de la Shoah Simone Veil. At the end of the conference, the official declaration warned against the rapid rise of verbal, visual and physical acts of antisemitism “posing a fundamental danger to the nature of post WWII democracy.” Concern was expressed too about the “increasingly popular conspiracy theories that consider Jews responsible for the evils of the world.” Delegates called upon national governments to institute training programs for teachers and civil servants on combating antisemitism, as well as promoting education about the Holocaust.

Education against antisemitism continues

Over 700 downloads of the International School for Holocaust Studies’ new lesson plan on “Remembering the Holocaust and Combating Xenophobia”—prepared for Holocaust Remembrance Day around Europe on 27 January—have been recorded. Following its launch at Yad Vashem by Minister for Jerusalem and Diaspora Affairs Natan Sharansky, many of the thirty ambassadors and diplomats present expressed an interest in expanding Holocaust educational programs in their countries.

In June, Yad Vashem participated in a session on antisemitism in the sphere of Holocaust education at the Education Committee of the Task Force for International Cooperation on Holocaust Education, Remembrance and Research.

Copyright ©2004 Yad Vashem The Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Remembrance Authority