About us
European Forum on Antisemitism
The European Forum on Antisemitism is a resource for Jewish community representatives, public opinion leaders, and members of non-governmental organizations dedicated to combating antisemitism. The Forum fosters advocacy, awareness and alertness to reduce the danger of antisemitism, a destabilizing force for democracy.
To achieve these aims, the European Forum on Antisemitism provides a platform for representatives of Jewish communities and NGOs from across Europe to bring issues to public attention, create educational material, highlight best practices and develop integrated strategies to fight antisemitism.
The European Forum on Antisemitism supports the use of the working definition of antisemitism, first adopted in 2005 by the European Monitoring Center on Racism and Xenophobia (EUMC), now the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA). The European Forum on Antisemitism provides more than thirty translations of the definition written by experts.
Founding of the European Forum on Antisemitism
European Forum on Antisemitism launched on March 13th, 2008
The European Forum on Antisemitism (EFA) was founded in Berlin on March 13th, 2008, at a conference of more than 50 Jewish leaders and experts from 15 European countries, the U.S. and Israel. The European Forum on Antisemitism assists Jewish leaders and experts accessing and exchanging relevant information on strategies to combat antisemitism. In addition, the forum promotes public discussion of facets of antisemitism and seeks to heighten public awareness of cases of antisemitism.
Participants of the conference, “A Communal Response to a Societal Challenge – European Jewish Communities and the Threat of Antisemitism,” were greeted by Gert Weisskirchen, Personal Representative of the OSCE-Chairman-in-Office on Combating Antisemitism. Professor Weisskirchen discussed the ongoing patterns of antisemitism within the OSCE region, recalling that antisemitism led to the downfall of Germany’s first democracy. Welcoming remarks were also made by Rabbi Andrew Baker, Director of International Jewish Affairs for the American Jewish Committee, who urged participants to work together while being mindful of distinct conditions in specific countries.
Stephan Kramer, Secretary General of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, gave introductory remarks, describing antisemitism as a virus that is over 2000 years old. He stressed the need for a combined legal, political and educational approach to combat antisemitism (read more).
Keynote speaker at the conference was Hubertus Heil, Member of the German Bundestag and Secretary General of the Social Democratic Party of Germany, who spoke about the importance of joint efforts between Jews and non-Jews to fight antisemitism and right-wing extremism.
Aviva Raz Schechter, the Director of the Department for Combating Antisemitism at the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs spoke about global aspects of combating antisemitism, encouraging the use of technology in fighting old and new forms of the age-old hatred.
During the conference, Jewish leaders from the United Kingdom, Ukraine, and the Czech Republic presented case studies on communal responses to antisemitism. Mark Gardner, Director of Communications of the Community Security Trust (CST) in the United Kingdom spoke about the unique work of the CST in the field of monitoring and security for Jews and Jewish institutions (read more).
Eduard Dolinsky, General Director of the Ukrainian Jewish Committee, described the work of Jewish leaders in the Ukraine to combat MAUP, a private academy in the Ukraine that disseminates antisemitic literature and promotes antisemitism (read more).
Tomas Kraus, the Executive Director of the Federation of Jewish Communities of the Czech Republic, described the successful alliance of Prague’s Jewish community with various NGOs and politicians fighting a neo-Nazi rally through the Jewish quarter of Prague.
The European Forum on Antisemitism is currently compiling such cases of best practice in combating antisemitism in a manual of case studies that will promote an exchange of strategies.
The conference was co-sponsored by the American Jewish Committee Berlin Office/Ramer Center for German-Jewish Relations and the Friedrich Ebert Foundation.
