that their only duty and attachment is to their own community. Without a sense of common humanity, Ms. Bayani underscored, fragmented world views will continue to be nurtured and ultimately will lead to“ us”-and-“ them” identifications and to prejudice and alienation.
The speaker concluded by stating that coalition building needs to explore how such a sense of loyalty or wider identity can be nurtured among this generation as well as generations to come. She ended with a question on how can our educational systems be designed in such a way that they instil, from a young age onwards, this expanded sense of identity.
PANEL: SHARING BEST PRACTICES AND CHALLENGES IN BUILDING COALITIONS IN THE OSCE REGION
The first panellist Mark Weitzman( Chair of the Committee on Antisemitism and Holocaust Denial of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance( IHRA)) opened his speech by quoting Frans Timmermans who said“ if there ' s no future for Jews in Europe, there ' s no future for Europe”. He noted that the question of anti-Semitism was not theoretical but practical and while theory was important, it needed to be married to action. Mr. Weitzman went on to explain the background to the adoption of IHRA’ s Working Definition of Holocaust Denial and Distortion. He further noted that anti-Semitism was historically a core European value intertwined with Europe’ s history and which permeated artistic imagery and was woven into the cultural fabric. Currently, however, it was no longer a value and most Europeans realize the pernicious nature of anti-Semitism.
Mr. Weitzman then provided the background to the adoption of the working definition on anti-Semitism during the IHRA Plenary meeting held in Bucharest on 26 May 2016. He explained that the definition is taken from the EUMC definition as there was not enough time to invent a new one. As Mr. Weitzman explained, in order to begin to address the problem of anti-Semitism, there must be clarity about what ant-Semitism actually is. This is not a simple question. The adopted working definition helps provide guidance in answering this challenging question. The definition adopted by the IHRA is endorsed by experts, is relevant and of practical applicability. Together with the IHRA adopted Working Definition of Holocaust Denial and Distortion, the working definition of anti-Semitism provides another tool in the IHRA tool kit for combatting anti-Semitism. It provides illustrations of contemporary manifestations of anti-Semitism but is not legally binding.
Robin Sclafani( Director of CEJI- A Jewish Contribution to an Inclusive Europe) explained that CEJI works to combat prejudice and discrimination and to promote social cohesion through training, education, dialogue and advocacy and has been part of many networks and coalitions which were people or project dependent. Robin Sclafani further noted that coalition building needs a purpose or full time staff to give it focus. She presented the Facing Facts! Project, which aims at tackling the issue of hate crime. Ms. Sclafani underscored that the benefits of a coalition include the possibility to learn from one another and mobilizing various actors for policy change. The challenges include potential lack of capacity in terms of staff, difficulties in building trust among various organizations, competing for funding
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