What role for the media in the fight against anti-Semitism?

EJU News

The numerous (social) media platforms provide new means to spread anti-Semitism and with it, also new means to fight the phenomenon.

The European Jewish Press Second Conference on Jewish media in Europe, which took place on June 20 in Brussels, has gathered many key figures and specialists from the media, government officials, leaders of Jewish organizations, EJU representatives, EU institutions and NGOs who exchanged views on this crucial issue for the future of Jews in Europe. The conference was opened by Hannah Rosenthal, the US Special Envoy to monitor and combat anti-Semitism. The media has a strong influence on people’s way of thoughts, explained Rosenthal. "Today everyone has access to the media, over three quarter American adults use the internet, over 570 million people are using Facebook and television is still the strongest means of communication. People follow bloggers and twitters that incite to anti-Semitism," she stressed.

The social media, she said, is just one new means of anti-Semitism with the increase in traditional anti-Semitism. More and more leading figures deny the Holocaust. She also cited other forms of anti-Semitism, such as Holocaust glorification, Holocaust revisionism, nationalism, hatred of the collective Jews and certain forms of criticism of the State of Israel.

She pointed out that there must be some sort of an "obsession" with the state of Israel, mentioning that Israel was condemned 444 times in the United Nations as opposed to 5 condemnations against Sudan and 8 against North Korea.

Rosenthal believes that in order to fight hatred we need to reach out and encourage non Jews to condemn anti-Semitism incidents and vice versa.

To encourage such action, she uses herself the social media and has started a virtual campaign on Facebook and Twitter. This campaign calls on young people to volunteer one hour and serve a community different than their own. Over 10,000 hours have already been pledge.

But Julien Klener, President of the Jewish Consistoire in Belgium, considers speaking with people about tolerance as rather "naïve." Calling himself a "pessimistic", he said that the Jewish communities and organizations have tried to fight anti-Semitism but without success.

"Countries can preserve Jewish cemeteries and restore synagogues but the Jews are no longer there to use it,” he stressed.

Mia Doornaert, an adviser to Belgium’s Prime Minister and a former journalist , explained that preaching for dialogue between people with different ideologies is "useless." "If we want to try to fight hatred, we must be careful about language, we should not use terms such as Islamophobia as people have the right to be anti religion but not against people."

Shimon Samuels, director for international relations of the Simon Wiesenthal Centre in Paris, advocated the creation of a charter against anti-Semitism in the media, especially to fight the new forms of the phenomenon.

"Why do the Jews stand today alone," was the question raised by Haim Musicant, director general of CRIF, the umbrella group of Jewish organizations in France.

He explained that today in France only the Jews protest against anti-Semitism in demonstrations. Despite the fact that there are many anti-Semitic incidents, the French media report few of them.

"The French law against anti-Semitism is very efficient and he Jewish media is very important in the fight against anti-Semitism, but it needs the assistance of non Jewish organizations to stand with them," he said, noting also that Jews in France are more and more identified with the Israelis and Jews are said to be responsible for what Israel is doing.

As an Israeli journalist, Boaz Bismuth, foreign affairs editor of Israel Hayom newspaper, insisted that hatred speech against Jews is easy as it is linked to hatred against Israel, the Jewish state. "Unfortunately, today journalism is about being in the fashion not about honesty," he deplored. "Journalists don’t let facts ruin their story."

"The only way to change this is to report with them and try to influence from within the news outlets," said Sarah Ehrlich, a former freelance BBC correspondent in Israel.

"We will never win the battle against anti-Semitism, said Nicolas Zomersztajn, chief editor of Regards, a Jewish magazine in Brussels. For him, the Jewish press should not only deal with anti-Semitism but with the other many aspects of Jewish life as well.

During this conference EJU representatives discussed with colleagues possible ways of co-operation with European Jewish media and organizations.

The use of media and Jewish organizations

As today young people learn more from blogs than from newspapers, Maurice Sosnowski, President of CCOJB, the Jewish Community in Belgium, believes that it’s very important to monitor the media and stop incitement to anti-Semitism.

Mark Gardner, director of communication at the London’s Community Security Trust, sees a media confusion with anti-Semitism. If you change the word Jew with Black, "people see something racist." "The problem is that people associate anti-Semitism with the Holocaust which is a part of history long gone and therefore anti-Semitism is history as well."

The media, says Gardner, need to educate about anti-Semitism while keeping the balance not to scare the Jews to express themselves.

The CST publishes once a year a report on anti-Semitism which received strong media coverage, if there is an increase in anti-Semitism.

A German member of the European Parliament, Elmar Brok, who heads the EU-US Committee, fears that regardless of the values and numerous laws, people still need to fight for their religious rights and combat anti-Semitism. "With Jews Europe has special responsibility due to its dark history," he said.

Other speakers at the conference included Israel’s ambassador to the EU, Ran Curiel, William Echikson, spokesperson for Google Europe and Henri Nickels, program manager research at the Vienna-based European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights, Vienna (FRA) which provides expertise to EU institutions and member states on fundamental rights.

The agency conducts research on anti-Semitism, collects data, analyze it and highlight where initiatives can be taken to combat anti-Semitism.

At the end of the conference, Yossi Lempkowicz, director and chief editor of European Jewish Press, announced the creation of an European Association of Jewish Journalists under EJP umbrella. Its members would share content, ideas and cooperate with non-Jewish media outlets and other professional associations.

EJU expresses sincere gratitude to all organizers and people who made this conference possible.