“The mistake is to see antisemitism as a catastrophic illness which has now been resolved.
…Antisemitism is in fact a chronic condition.”
– Bob Rae, Former Premier of Ontario,
and Canadian Special Envoy for Humanitarian and Refugee Issues
ISGAP is proud to announce that on Monday, March 30, the ISGAP-Oxford Workshop for Government Civil Servants and Policy Experts on Understanding and Combating Antisemitism, proceeded as scheduled – online – with more than 200 participants.
ISGAP is dedicated to fostering the vital connections between government officials and Jewish community leaders that will allow them to better shape policies that impact Jewish life. Contemporary antisemitism has different attributes and characteristics in comparison to historical variations and it is essential to explore these new facets in order to develop effective policy, best practices, and strategies.
As Bob Rae, the Canadian Special Envoy for Humanitarian and Refugee Issues, addressed in his comments, “We need to understand the nature of this disease in order to be able to fight it effectively.”
The workshop, originally a four-day conference hosted at Merton College, Oxford University, for European civil servants and government officials in areas of policy related to matters of antisemitism, race relations, discrimination, human rights, equality, justice, education and citizenship, drew and an impressive roster of speakers, including:
- Natan Sharansky, ISGAP Chair, Genesis Prize Laureate
- Elan Carr, US Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism
- Bob Rae, former Premier of Ontario, Canadian Special Envoy for Humanitarian and Refugee Issues
- Katharina von Schnurbein, European Commission Coordinator on Combating Antisemitism and Fostering Jewish Life
- Tome Shekerdjiev, Deputy Head of the Tolerance and Non-Discrimination Department, OSCE ODIHR
- Ambassador Giulio Terzi di Sant’Agata, Foreign Minister of Italy (2011-2013)
This seminar was the first of many as ISGAP’s important work will now move online to continue bringing together an international network of concerned scholars, policymakers and government officials to confront and combat contemporary antisemitism wherever it may be found.
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“I was impressed by the number of quality speakers and the audience…
The seminar was a tremendous success!”
Katharina von Schnurbein, European Commission Coordinator
on Combating Antisemitism and Fostering Jewish Life
The ISGAP-Oxford Workshop
Monday, 30 March 2020
Dr. Charles Asher Small, Executive Director, ISGAP
“Mapping Different Forms of Antisemitism(s) in Europe: Understanding the Gap Between Legislation, Policy and Implementation.”
Natan Sharansky, Chair, ISGAP
“Contemporary Antisemitism on the Left and Right”
Michael Whine, Director of Government and International Affairs, Community Security Trust (CST)
“Applying European Legislation against Antisemitism”
Katharina von Schnurbein, European Commission Coordinator on Combating Antisemitism and Fostering Jewish Life
“Combating Antisemitism in the European Union”
Bob Rae, former Premier of Ontario, Canadian Special Envoy for Humanitarian and Refugee Issues
“Antisemitism: A Chronic Condition”
Tome Shekerdjiev, Deputy Head, Tolerance and Non-Discrimination Department, OSCE ODIHR
“The Need for a Comprehensive Approach in Addressing Antisemitism through Education”
Ambassador Giulio Terzi di Sant’Agata, former Foreign Minister of Italy (2011-2013)
“New Antisemitism in Italy, Efforts to Fight it: the Way Forward”
Dr. Dina Lisnyansky, Tel Aviv University, Department of Middle Eastern Studies
“Aspects of Muslim Antisemitism in Europe”
Special Envoy Elan Carr, U.S. Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism
“Education as a Key Component in the Fight Against Antisemitism”
Sacha Roytman-Dratwa, Director, Combat Anti-Semitism
Benjamin Weinthal, Research Fellow, Foundation for Defense of Democracies
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