HELSINKI – The World Jewish Congress (WJC) participated in UNESCO’s
Northern European Conference on Education and Antisemitism, held December 9–11
in partnership with the OSCE/ODIHR and the European Commission. Hosted by
Finland’s Ministry of Education and Culture, the event brought together
education policymakers, government officials, and civil society representatives
from Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, and Sweden to
discuss the impact of antisemitism on students and communities.
Delegates shared best practices on effective safeguards
for Jewish students and to identify areas for improvement in the future, equipping
educational policymakers and ministries with the knowledge and tools to
adequately respond to antisemitism.
Amongst the speaker lineup was Ernest Herzog, Head of
Combating Antisemitism, Intelligence & Security at the World Jewish
Congress, who touched upon the gap between what is taught about antisemitism
within the classroom and what students encounter in their everyday lives. Herzog
emphasized the necessity of three foundational pillars to effectively combat
antisemitism: integrating the IHRA working definition of antisemitism,
establishing a national strategy to combat antisemitism and foster Jewish life,
and appointing and empowering a special envoy or coordinator for combating
antisemitism, placed adequately within the government structure. Within the
educational framework, Herzog proposed several concrete measures:
- Integrating the IHRA working definition of antisemitism into the school curriculums;
- Enforcing mandatory, systematic antisemitism training for teachers;
- Educating students about contemporary Jewish life beyond historical events like the Holocaust;
- Addressing online antisemitism and conspiracy myths; and
- Ensuring full accountability through monitoring, measuring and reporting on an annual basis, in order to ensure steady and continuous progress.
Herzog underscored that these efforts can only be achieved
with the presence of strong political will and mutual participation and
dialogue between authorities, local Jewish communities and civil society. “The
main challenge ahead of us is ensuring that education systems prepare the next
generation to recognize and reject antisemitism in all its forms,” he
stated. “Not only those of the past.”
The World Jewish Congress has maintained a long-time
partnership with UNESCO, working together to enhance educational programs and
safeguard internet platforms from hate. The WJC has also partnered with UNESCO and TikTok to connect millions of users
with verified educational resources, including aboutholocaust.org.
The campaign continues to guide social media platforms to meaningfully address
Holocaust distortion and misinformation, and to ensure that younger generations
engage with accurate and accessible Holocaust educational resources.
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