Pollica - The 2nd edition of the “Building Divercity” Bootcamp was organized, under the auspices of UNESCO, bythe International Coalition of Inclusive and Sustainable Cities and the Simon Wiesenthal Centre-Europe, with the support of UNAR (Italian Office against Discrimination), Paideia Campus,Verbe et Lumière-Vigilance and the City of Pollica.
Alex Uberti, Wiesenthal Centre European Project Manager, at workshop on antisemitism and with bootcampers
The youth present represented a wide panel of ethnic, cultural and religious diversity... from Europe, Africa, Asiaand Latin America. This year, there were also two students from Israel.
The general concern was the global surge of discrimination and hate, thus the intent to shape more tolerant policies in cities,universities and civil society. The programme included workshops on racism, gender inequality, antisemitism, Islamophobia, anti-LGBTQI+ and anti-Roma discrimination... but also,the evolution of international law, local policies, data analysis, social media...
At last year’s inaugural bootcamp, the Wiesenthal Centre’s Director for International Relations, Dr. Shimon Samuels, had focussed onantisemitism as a tripwire for other forms of discrimination and the need to build solidarity among victims, in particular to counter conspiracy theories.
This year, the Wiesenthal Centre’s European Project Manager, Alex Uberti, presented historical and contemporary aspects ofantisemitism, exposing the persistence of anti-Jewish tropes, decoding "anti-Zionism" and the modern terminology of hate.
The discussion on antisemitism began with an exercise in intersectionality, mentioning the case of a far-right militant burninga Quran in Stockholm, "which resonates for the Jews, as the Nazis began by burning Torah scrolls and Jewish books in 1933. Likewise, the rejection of refugees recalls the 1938 Evian Conference.Today's scapegoating of foreigners resembles the blood libels against Jews over the past centuries. The incitement and genocidal intent against minorities... all evoke Nazi propaganda and theShoah."
"To avoid repetition of the darkest pages of history, education is paramount. Practical tools include the IHRA definition ofantisemitism, as well as of anti-gypsyism... an essential baseline for national legislators, as also for local authorities, businesses and sport clubs. The Centre's monitoring of book fairsor social media are examples of good practices..."
The bootcamp delved into global issues, such as extremism, polarization and inequality... but participants also shared personalexperiences of discrimination and violence. The youth discussed future campaign ideas for Mozambique, Cyprus, Moldova or Mexico...
Simon Wiesenthal's words often resonated, in particular on the need to "find friends near and afar to build defencesagainst the repetition of the Holocaust."
Of the two young adults from Israel, one is an Indian-born law student, and a member of the Ahmadi community. He spoke of hishometown Haifa, a welcoming refuge for different religious communities persecuted in neighbouring countries. The second Israeli, raised in a Kibbutz, is a Jewish student now at TelAviv University. She is deeply concerned by the misrepresentation of Israel and the Jews in international media. They both attested of the diversity within Israeli society, the laws guaranteeingfreedom of worship and of expression in a challenging regional context.
The bootcampers hope to become “mediators against discrimination” in their cities, universities or workplaces. The Wiesenthal Centrewishes its young friends success!
For further information contact Dr. Shimon Samuels at csweurope@gmail.com, join the Center on Facebook,or follow @simonwiesenthal for news updates sent directly to your Twitter feed.
The Simon Wiesenthal Center is one of the largest international Jewish human rights organizations in the United States. It is an NGO at international agencies including the United Nations,UNESCO, the OSCE, the OAS, the Council of Europe and the Latin American Parliament (Parlatino).