Are there any existing regulations or policies that you believe have been particularly effective—or ineffective—in addressing online antisemitism?

Yes, there are several existing regulations and strategies that have played important roles in addressing online antisemitism within the European Union—most notably the Digital Services Act (DSA) and the EU Strategy on Combating Antisemitism and Fostering Jewish Life (2021–2030).

The DSA came into force in 2023 and aims to create a safer digital space by holding online platforms more accountable for the content they host. It has been particularly effective in combating online antisemitism: it requires transparency from platforms, the removal of illegal content, and mandates that they conduct risk assessments.

How can digital literacy and media education help prevent the spread of antisemitic and other extremist ideologies?

Digital literacy and media education are essential tools in preventing the spread of antisemitic and other extremist ideologies online. One of the most effective ways they do this is by empowering students to critically engage with the content they consume—especially on fast-paced, often unregulated platforms such as TikTok and Instagram.

Teaching students how to fact-check online content is a crucial first step. In an age where misinformation spreads quickly and algorithms often amplify sensational or provocative content, the ability to verify sources, check dates, and understand context is vital. When students learn how to trace the origins of claims and recognize manipulation tactics (such as misleading headlines, out-of-context quotes, or deepfakes), they become more resilient against propaganda—including antisemitic conspiracy theories or historical denialism.

Another important area is raising awareness of the risks associated with dark humour—especially in meme culture and online communities where offensive jokes are often dismissed as “just humour.” While some users may share such content ironically or without malicious intent, such jokes can normalize hate speech and desensitize audiences to dangerous ideologies. In particular, antisemitic memes or jokes that rely on stereotypes or Holocaust denial can serve as entry points into more radical spaces, where hate is more overtly promoted.

By helping students understand the line between satire and incitement, educators can teach them to question the purpose and impact of the content they encounter or share. It’s not just about avoiding offensive material—it’s about recognizing when humour is being used to spread hate under the radar.

Ultimately, digital literacy and media education help young people to:

• Develop critical thinking skills that reduce susceptibility to manipulation.
• Recognize and challenge hate speech, even when it’s disguised as entertainment.
• Become responsible digital citizens who think before they share and understand the real-world consequences of online actions.

When students can navigate digital spaces with awareness and skepticism, they’re far less likely to be influenced by extremist ideologies—and more likely to play an active role in resisting them.

What are the most effective ways for individuals, educators, and policymakers to challenge antisemitism today?

One of the most effective ways for individuals, educators, and policymakers to challenge antisemitism today is by promoting education, empathy, and resilience—with a strong emphasis on learning about Jewish life, culture, and history.

Understanding the richness and diversity of Jewish life is key to breaking down stereotypes. Individuals can challenge antisemitism by:

• Educating themselves about Jewish traditions, history, and modern experiences—not just about the Holocaust, but also about Jewish contributions to society.
• Following educational content creators, such as the Italian TikTok account @askajew, which offers an accessible and often humorous way to learn about Judaism, combat misconceptions, and humanize Jewish identity online.
• Speaking out when they witness antisemitism, online or offline, and supporting Jewish communities through solidarity and allyship.

Educators play a powerful role in shaping perspectives. The most impactful strategies include:

• Incorporating Jewish history and culture into the broader curriculum—not only focusing on antisemitism or the Holocaust but also celebrating Jewish life, both past and present. This is essential for creating a well-rounded and inclusive educational experience. Too often, Jewish identity is only introduced in the context of trauma or persecution. While it is vital to teach about the Holocaust and antisemitism, it is equally important to showcase the richness, diversity, and continuity of Jewish culture, thought, and contributions to society.

One organization leading this effort in Italy is the Centro di Documentazione Ebraica Contemporanea (CDEC). Through its robust educational programs, CDEC offers resources, training, and workshops for teachers, students, and the general public that go far beyond Holocaust education. Their work emphasizes a deep, nuanced understanding of Jewish life, spanning history, religion, cultural traditions, literature, and contemporary Jewish experiences.

CDEC’s training division, headed by Patrizia Baldi, provides professional development for educators, offering tools to:

• Teach about Jewish culture in a contextual and respectful way.
• Explore the continuity of Jewish presence in Italy, highlighting the longstanding and evolving role of Jewish communities throughout centuries.
• Address modern-day antisemitism by rooting discussions in knowledge, empathy, and historical accuracy, rather than fear-based approaches.

CDEC also encourages student engagement through guided visits, digital archives, and interactive activities that personalize Jewish history and help students see it as part of a shared cultural heritage. By doing so, it helps foster respectful curiosity and cultural literacy, both of which are critical for building resilience against hate.

Incorporating resources like those offered by CDEC into mainstream curricula ensures that Jewish identity is seen as living, diverse, and integrated—not marginal or historical. It empowers young people with the knowledge and empathy to not only recognize antisemitism, but to become active allies in standing against it.

• Using initiatives like the European Day of Jewish Culture to introduce students to real-life stories, art, food, and traditions that foster a sense of connection and curiosity rather than fear or “othering.”
• Building critical thinking skills so students can recognize and challenge antisemitic tropes, conspiracy theories, and hate speech—especially on social media.

Do you see any promising initiatives, whether in law, technology, or education, that offer hope in the fight against antisemitism?

In the fight against antisemitism, various initiatives across legal, cultural, and educational spheres have shown promise. Notably, the Digital Services Act (DSA), the European Day of Jewish Culture, and the Facing Facts program have been instrumental. Additionally, digital platforms like TikTok have become arenas where creators actively engage in combating antisemitism and promoting understanding.

The DSA is a significant legislative effort by the European Union to regulate online platforms, aiming to create safer digital environments. It mandates that large online platforms assess and mitigate systemic risks, including the dissemination of illegal content such as hate speech and antisemitism. By enforcing transparency in content moderation and requiring the swift removal of illegal content, the DSA holds platforms accountable and encourages proactive measures against online hate.

The European Day of Jewish Culture is an annual event celebrated across Europe, focusing on the diversity and richness of Jewish heritage. By organizing cultural activities, exhibitions, and educational programs, this initiative fosters dialogue and understanding among diverse communities. Highlighting Jewish contributions to European society helps challenge stereotypes and combat antisemitism through positive engagement and education.

Facing Facts is an educational program that provides training to professionals and civil society organizations on identifying, monitoring, and responding to hate crimes, including antisemitism. By emphasizing data collection, victim support, and community engagement, Facing Facts enhances the capacity of various stakeholders to address hate incidents effectively. Its cross-sectoral approach ensures a comprehensive response to antisemitism, bridging gaps between communities, authorities, and NGOs.

Furthermore, social media platforms like TikTok have become influential spaces for education and advocacy. Creators such as Ask a Jew (@askajew) use these platforms to address misconceptions and answer questions about Jewish culture and religion. By engaging directly with audiences, they promote understanding and challenge antisemitic narratives.

Brussels/Berlin, April 1, 2025 — ENCATE is pleased to announce the release of two new publications that mark an essential step in fostering intersectional approaches to addressing antisemitism through education. The position paper, Advancing an Intersectional Approach to Addressing Antisemitism, and its companion piece, Guidelines for Practitioners, offer theoretical insights and practical recommendations for those working in the field. They seek to enhance the understanding of antisemitism in the broader context of social dynamics, various forms of discrimination, and structural inequalities.

The two documents are the outcome of a two-year project titled “Dare Together.” They reflect extensive online and offline discussions within an ENCATE working group and represent a collaborative effort led by CEJI – A Jewish Contribution to an Inclusive Europe. The insights gathered from various Jewish and non-Jewish partners during the project’s workshops and lunch talks were also invaluable contributions.

The documents offer a comprehensive set of practical recommendations aimed at addressing the key issues identified:

• Take a human rights-based approach
• Understand definitions of antisemitism and intersectionality
• Identify all forms of antisemitism
• Practice reflexivity to mitigate bias, positionality, and power dynamics
• Celebrate Jewish life with all its diversity
• Address intra-community prejudices and bigotry
• Foster allyship with emotional literacy and empathy-building
• Use or set up institutional mechanisms for intersectional analysis and contextual adaptation
• Demonstrate transformative, rights-based pedagogy.

These new publications significantly contribute to ENCATE’s mission of empowering educators and civil society to confront antisemitism and other forms of discrimination through education.

Brussels, September 9-11, 2024 — Representatives from five ENCATE member organizations—CEJI, KIgA, Anne Frank Zentrum, Solutions not Sides, and Haver Hungary—met in Brussels as a working group focusing on antisemitism and intersectionality. We have previously conducted online meetings, exploring the interconnectedness of antisemitism with other forms of discrimination. Together, we aim to produce a position paper and guidelines for the network on implementing intersectional theory and principles in our practice of countering antisemitism.

We are grateful to CEJI, our partner in the ongoing Dare Together project, for arranging the insightful study visit and their continuous efforts in developing the position paper and the guidelines.

Understanding Intersectionality and Antisemitism

Intersectionality is the recognition that people experience discrimination in ways shaped by multiple aspects of their identity, such as race, religion, gender, and more. While many organizations fighting discrimination have adopted the intersectionality framework, its application in antisemitism prevention remains largely overlooked. With this in mind, we aim to bridge this gap by developing a pragmatic approach that incorporates the principles of intersectionality for cases of antisemitism.

Conversations with EU Policy Officers

During our study visit, we met with Tanja Florath, Policy Officer from the EU’s Coordination Office on Anti-Racism, and Wester Meijdam, Policy Officer in the Office of the European Commission Coordinator on Combating Antisemitism and Fostering Jewish Life. Our discussions highlighted the nuanced ways the EU addresses different forms of discrimination. While racism, antisemitism, and Islamophobia are all considered significant, the varied terminology and framing—such as referring to Islamophobia as “anti-Muslim hatred”—can lead to feelings among minority groups that their experiences are not equally acknowledged or addressed.

These distinctions may exacerbate tensions and contribute to the perception of unequal treatment, sometimes described as a “victimhood Olympics.” While the EU emphasizes solidarity and intersectionality in its policies, there remains a gap in effectively integrating these principles into both policy frameworks and practical implementation. It is an ongoing process, with much still to be learned to ensure that all forms of discrimination are treated with equal attention and seriousness.

Acknowledging Diversity Within Jewish Communities

What does it mean to counter antisemitism while embracing the diversity within Jewish communities? Jewish identity is not monolithic; it spans different ethnic backgrounds, including Ashkenazi, Sephardi, Mizrahi, Jews of Color, and Black Jews, each with distinct historical experiences. Other identity factors—such as gender, disability, sexual orientation, and socio-economic status—further contribute to this diversity.

Recognizing this complexity is crucial because reductive generalizations are inherently discriminatory and dehumanizing. Treating communities as homogenous erases individuals’ unique experiences and perpetuates stereotypes. Emphasizing diversity within minority groups is not just an acknowledgment of difference; it’s a core strategy in fighting discrimination. By understanding the varied layers of identity, we can create more inclusive approaches that address the full range of experiences within any minority, ensuring that counter-discrimination efforts are relevant and effective for all.

Allyship and Intersectionality

Supporting marginalized communities and vocally advocating for their rights, we highlighted the importance of allyship and raised some questions surrounding it. For instance, what does it take for minorities to support each other when their struggles overlap in complex ways? Does allyship require complete agreement about all of the relevant issues?

Though we don´t have a definitive answer to all of our questions, we concluded that effective allyship requires a shared commitment to human rights, not a perfect agreement. It involves confronting antisemitism while also addressing other forms of discrimination, even amidst tense relations between the Jewish minority and other minorities. True allyship means actively supporting people’s intersectional struggles and untangling how discrimination forms may exacerbate each other.

Moving Forward: Developing Guidelines

So, where do we go from here? The insights we gained during our study visit will be used to create a position paper and practical guidelines for ENCATE members. These will help apply an intersectional approach to tackling antisemitism, ensuring that diversity within Jewish communities is acknowledged and that a broader understanding of interconnected struggles informs efforts to counter antisemitism.

This study visit reinforced the importance of viewing antisemitism within the broader context of discrimination and power dynamics, ensuring a holistic approach to building a more inclusive and just society. We are excited to continue developing these resources and to support our members in this crucial work.

Munich, June 7, 2024 — ENCATE brought together museum workers, educators, researchers, and civil society actors at the Munich Documentation Center for the History of National Socialism to explore Muslim belonging and German remembrance practices. Participants discussed the integration and exploration of the insights from Prof. Esra Özyürek’s book “Subcontractors of Guilt: Holocaust Memory and Muslim Belonging in Postwar Germany” into their educational, scholarly, and advocacy work.

As a part of the workshop, Aya Zarfati from the House of the Wannsee Conference gave input about Holocaust education for diverse groups at the museum. She pointed out that appreciation of diversity through various means, such as language, allows for more inclusion and stronger multiperspectivity. Together with the insights from Özyürek’s book, the participants reflected on how Holocaust remembrance should look in order to be as inclusive as possible. The participants also pointed out that Holocaust remembrance in today’s (post-migration) society is strongly connected to questions of identity and should tackle questions such as the following:

• Who remembers?
• Which groups are addressed in Holocaust remembrance and education?
• And how are these groups addressed?

Even though some educators may believe that Holocaust education and memory site visits can somehow fight antisemitism, particularly the perceived unique form of antisemitism among young Muslims, the answer is not always straightforward. Isolating one specific group is not useful at all. Creating educational and remembrance programs for a specific audience, such as Muslims, can often be reductive and perpetuate stereotypes.

In today’s post-migrant society, remembering and teaching about the Holocaust is relevant for everyone, regardless of their background or family history. It is because it helps us better understand today’s discourses, politics, and society in Germany. At the end of the workshop, it became clear that it is fundamentally essential to have open conversations with each other, rather than talking about each other, to create a future of remembrance for everyone together on an equal footing.

Andrea Schnelzauer, KIgA e.V.