COMBATTING ANTISEMITISM THROUGH EDUCATION: a EUROPEAN MEETING Berlin, December 11-13, 2018
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MEETING REPORT COMBATTING ANTISEMITISM THROUGH EDUCATION: A EUROPEAN MEETING Berlin, December 11-13, 2018 Preface As the Kreuzberg Initiative against Antisemitism (KIgA e.V.), we organized the meeting “Combatting Antisemitism through Education,” December 3 to 5, 2018, in Berlin, Germany. Through this meeting, we intended to bring together the European organizations that are combatting antisemitism and other forms of bias through education and discuss how we can forge European level cooperation against growing intolerance. This meeting provided us with the chance of getting to know each other and explore some education projects in Berlin. Eventually, the participants discussed the needs and requirement for follow-up meetings of a prospected European network, as well as the core objectives. Fifteen organization representatives from nine countries came together thanks to financial and other forms of support from the German Ministry for Family Affairs (BMFSFJ) and the EVZ Foundation. We are at the beginning to call it a network but can say it was a promising start to bring a diverse range of organizations working in civic and historical education, sharing a vision of a world free of hate, discrimination, and violence. This documentation will give you a brief understanding of the discussions and presentations during these three days. We want to thank everybody who made this event possible. Have a nice reading! Coordinator Emrah Gürsel, KIgA Organizer Johanna Voss, KIgA Author Paula Lange Disclaimer Contents of this report should not be taken as the official view of the partner organizations. February 2019 ©Kreuzberger Initiative gegen Antisemitismus e.V. December 11 9 – 12 am Welcome Remarks – Dr. Andreas Eberhardt (EVZ) – Amb. Michaela Küchler (Federal Foreign Office) – Dervis Hizarci (KIgA) Meeting Goals and Schedule – Emrah Gürsel and Johanna Voss (KIgA) Interactive Getting to Know Each Other Introduction The opening event of the conference took A recent study by the European Union Agency place at the premises of the Foundation for Fundamental Rights (FRA) shed light on the Remembrance, Responsibility and Future major role that NGOs and civil society (EVZ). Chairperson Andreas Eberhardt started initiatives play in the fight against by welcoming the participants from 11 antisemitism. The Special Representative for different countries and introducing them to the Relations with Jewish Organizations of the the operations of the EVZ. These operations German Federal Foreign Office, Ambassador are not limited to the compensation of former Michaela Küchler further underlined this forced laborers, but also include support for relevance and announced financial support for educational projects that promote human the network. Dervis Hizarci of the Kreuzberg rights all over Europe. Initiative against Antisemitism – KIgA – explained that the European Network should be understood primarily as a response to the Combatting Antisemitism through Education 4 current rise of antisemitism, racism, to the right, growing acceptance of previously nationalism and intolerance all over Europe. proscribed statements, hate speech on social According to Hizarci, educational work is media or Israel-related antisemitism were fundamental in the fight against said stated multiple times. On top of these general phenomena. problems are country-specific challenges like a lack of knowledge about the history of Next the participants introduced themselves Judaism, arrests of activists, precarious and their work, and it became obvious that funding situations and the outsourcing of many of the organizations present are facing antisemitism in society. Afterwards the similar challenges in their respective participants stated their expectations of the countries. Observations like a political swing network: stiftung-evz.de/eng/home.html fra.europa.eu/en/publication/2018/2nd-survey- discrimination-hate-crime-against-jews kiga-berlin.org To find inspiration and motivation in the fact that organizations in other countries are fighting for the same objectives To join forces To create and across national implement borders and bilateral / help each other multilateral in times of partnerships Expectations need from a Network To bring together To learn from each different other and perspectives and establish an open basic approaches to culture of debate educational work Meeting Report 5 December 11 12:30 – 2 pm Guided Tour through the Indoor Exhibition “Gestapo, SS and Reich Security Main Office” – Jan Martin Ogirmann Visit: Topography of Terror Then there was a guided tour through the Topography of Terror permanent exhibition I was very impressed by the “Gestapo, SS and Reich Security Main Office location itself. It was my on Wilhelm- and Prinz-Albrecht-Straße,” first visit there. The located on the site of the former Gestapo- prison. exhibition shows tangible The permanent exhibition focuses on the perpetrators so that you can see: central institutions of the SS and police during these are tangible crimes took place the “Third Reich” and the crimes that they exactly there. This is very important. It committed throughout Europe. With the help doesn’t show the victims perspective of mostly photographic material on a “ribbon of panels” and documents (facsimiles) and I understand this is widely presented at subject-oriented lecterns, visitors criticized, but it’s not a memorial site, are led through the major themes of the it’s a documentation centre. That is exhibition’s five main segments: why it’s all the more important that the exhibited photographs are The National Socialist Takeover of Power, Institutions of Terror (SS and Police), Terror, examined critically. Persecution, and Extermination on Reich Territory, SS and Reich Security Main Office in Occupied Countries and The End of the War and the Postwar Era. The participants reflected critically on the one- dimensional perspective of the exhibition’s photographs; by showing only the perpetrator perspective, they reiterate the humiliation of the victims of the Nazi regime. topographie.de/en/ Combatting Antisemitism through Education 6 December 11 4:15 pm – 6 pm Introduction to the KIgA´s Exhibition on Jewish Life in Berlin – Joachim Seinfeld (KIgA) Visit to the Exhibition “L’Chaim” After an introduction of curator Joachim the total is approximately 20,000 people. This Seinfeld on the concept of the exhibition mixture of long-established Jewish families in “L’Chaim – To life!”, the participants had an Berlin and newer arrivals make it possible for opportunity to take a closer look at the Jewish life to grow continually in the German traveling exhibition at its current location, capital. Louise Schroeder School. This exhibition portrays the diverse facets of Berlin, a metropolis as diverse and Jewish life in Berlin by presenting 37 multifaceted as its inhabitants and filled with biographies of 31 Jews and 6 Gentiles. The link history and stories, is a place that has been between all of them is their place of residence influenced and shaped by Jews since the 13th – Berlin. For some of them, religion is of central century. During the Nazi era, Jewish life in the importance. Others understand their Jewish background as purely cultural and have no city was largely destroyed. Today the city’s association with the Jewish faith. These Jewish community consists of over 9,000 different stories give the spectator a glimpse at members. Combined with the number of the active and diverse Jewish life in Berlin. people that are not official members of the Jewish community, this includes many Israelis, lchaim.berlin The exhibition was very beautiful. For me, as an adult, the exhibition was effective, but young people need additional guidance. Meeting Report 7 December 11 7:30 pm – 9 pm Israelis, Syrians and others, whose biographies are intertwined with the conflict in the Middle East, grapple with re-encounters as new “neighbors” in Berlin. Theater Play “The Situation” at Gorki “Anyone who wants to allude to the affordable for those with an average current political situation in the Middle income... The Situation dusts off the East in Hebrew or Arabic speaks simply of confusing road map of the Middle East. »The Situation«. Over the past several The sand that trickles down tells stories of years many people with roots in »The dispossession, disbelief and anger, but also Situation« have ended up in Berlin, of all of the search for a life beyond the wars in places, on their search for a new Berlin.”1 beginning… gorki.de/en In her new devised piece, Yael Ronen and the participating actors, whose I liked the play. It dealt with biographies are intertwined with the many of the stereotypes conflict in the Middle East, grapple with that exist but in a funny these paradoxical re-encounters with the way. I think the play was designed for »neighbors«. They are all connected by the a German audience and none of the fact that they recently came to Berlin because the reality in their countries offers actors on stage was really German, so little hope for a peaceful future. But as it was interesting for me to see the much as the desire to escape from »The German audience respond to the play Situation« unites them, the motivations for and to the challenges they have now moving are different: war has been raging in their own country. It breaks many in Syria since 2011, and in Israel and taboos and stereotypes, in that sense Palestine the political and social climate has become increasingly militant. Rents in it was very interesting Tel Aviv are exploding