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7 July 2022 | NEWSLETTER NO. 6
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ODIHR's Turning Words into Action to Address Intolerance (WiA) project contributes to making societies across the OSCE region more equal, inclusive, resilient and free from all forms of discrimination.
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The Words into Action to Address Intolerance project will be issuing newsletters every two months.
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Between April and June 2022, ODIHR’s Turning Words into Action to Address Intolerance (WiA) project continued to assist OSCE participating States in meeting their commitments in the field of tolerance and non-discrimination. By equipping government officials, parliamentarians, educators and civil society with the necessary knowledge and skills, the WiA project continues to support an effective response to anti-Semitism, intolerance against Muslims, racism and discrimination.
To address the security of communities, the WiA project teamed up with Regishut – a Berlin-based project aimed at raising awareness of anti-Semitism among the city’s police forces – together with the World Jewish Congress (WJC) and the European Commission (EC) to organize an in-person event on raising awareness and fostering effective communication among law enforcement agencies and Jewish communities in Berlin. Meanwhile, ODIHR held a workshop in Ankara during which representatives of the Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities and the Ministry of Justice of Türkiye were introduced to ODIHR’s tools on addressing racist, xenophobic and anti-Muslim intolerance and discrimination. Finally, as part of the WiA project, ODIHR supported national stakeholders in Cyprus by holding the third meeting of the country’s Working Group to facilitate inter-agency co-operation on addressing hate crime.
As part of the WiA project’s education and coalition-building component, ODIHR partnered with the Kreuzberg Initiative against Antisemitism (KIgA e.V.) and the European Network for Countering Antisemitism through Education (ENCATE) to organize a three-day workshop on strengthening coalitions to address anti-Semitism, intolerance and discrimination in and through education.
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7 July 2022 | NEWSLETTER NO. 6
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Addressing the Security Needs of the Jewish Community: Raising Awareness of Anti-Semitism among Law Enforcement Agencies in Berlin (Berlin, Germany, 19 May 2022)
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Panellists and participants at the event on Raising Awareness of Anti-Semitism among Law Enforcement Agencies in Berlin, Germany, 19 May 2022.
Photo Credit: MBR Berlin.
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Anti-Semitic acts threaten the values of democratic and inclusive societies and undermine societal stability and security. Such crimes, including the desecration of cemeteries and attacks on synagogues, Jewish cultural centres and Holocaust memorial sites, have a negative impact on the human rights and fundamental freedoms of Jewish individuals and communities across the OSCE region.
In 2019, Berlin became the first federal state in Germany to adopt a comprehensive concept for developing strategies aimed at combating anti-Semitism. In this context, anti-Semitism commissioners in the police, the chief public prosecutor’s office and the Berlin Senate began their work. In July 2020, in line with the main objective of the state’s concept on combating anti-Semitism, the Association for a Democratic Culture in Berlin (Verein für Demokratische Kultur in Berlin e.V., VDK) established the project “Regishut – Raising Awareness of Anti-Semitism among Police in Berlin”. The project aims to raise awareness of contemporary manifestations of anti-Semitism, integrate a victim-centred perspective into police work and incorporate the expertise of CSOs into police education and training.
On 19 May, the Regishut project and ODIHR held a one-day event in Berlin to raise awareness of the security needs of Jewish communities in Berlin and to offer a forum for mutual exchange and communication among representatives of the police, prosecuting authorities, Jewish community, academia and civil society organizations. During the event, ODIHR presented the German translation of its publication on Understanding Anti-Semitic Hate Crimes and Addressing the Security Needs of Jewish Communities: A Practical Guide.
The presentations and discussions made clear that anti-Semitism is an issue in Berlin, and that the communication between law enforcement bodies and the local Jewish community functions well in several regards. More efforts are needed to institutionalize and strengthen communication channels, however. To this end, participants agreed on several commitments aimed at enhancing co-operation between the Jewish community and regional authorities.
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Copies of the German translation of ODIHR’s publication on Understanding Anti-Semitic Hate Crimes and Addressing the Security Needs of Jewish Communities: A Practical Guide alongside materials developed under the Regishut project.
Photo Credit: MBR Berlin.
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"The exchange of experience and knowledge between the Jewish community, the police and the public prosecutor's office is essential in order to make the concerns and fears of the Jewish community clear to officials. On the other hand, it is important that we also understand that authorities are not omnipotent and that they are subject to limits. ODIHR’s WIA project is therefore an excellent approach to promoting mutual understanding and building trust. Both are indispensable in the fight against anti-Semitism."
Sigmount Königsberg, Commissioner against Antisemitism of the Jewish community of Berlin
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More on the event in Berlin
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