Addressing the Security Needs of the Jewish Community: Raising Awareness of Anti-Semitism among Police in Berlin

The aim of the event is to raise awareness of the security needs of the Jewish community in Berlin. The event will also provide a platform for the exchange of information and experiences on addressing anti-Semitism among police, prosecuting authorities, Jewish community representatives, academic experts and relevant civil society organizations (CSOs). During the event, tools and methodologies to address anti-Semitism will be presented, including ODIHR’s publication Understanding Anti-Semitic Hate Crimes and Addressing the Security Needs of Jewish Communities – A Practical Guide.

Participants 

The meeting will gather representatives from: 

• The Jewish Community of Berlin; 
• The Chief Prosecutor of Berlin, Commissioner for Antisemitism;
• The Berlin State Police; 
• The World Jewish Congress;
• The European Commission Coordinator on combating Antisemitism and fostering Jewish life;
• The Commissioner against Antisemitism of the Jewish Community of Berlin;
• The Society for a Democratic Culture in Berlin (Verein für Demokratische Kultur in Berlin e.V., VDK); and
• MBR Berlin (Mobile Counseling against Right-wing Extremism in Berlin).

Background 

The OSCE’s 2014 Basel Ministerial Council Declaration called upon OSCE participating States to “increase efforts to implement existing OSCE commitments related to monitoring hate crimes and collecting relevant data, including motivated by anti-Semitism.” The Declaration also called on ODIHR to support participating States in their efforts to “facilitate co-operation between governmental officials and civil society on issues related to anti-Semitism, including hate crime.”

This event is part of ODIHR’s project ‘Turning Words into Action to Address Intolerance’ (WiA). 

In 2019, Berlin became the first federal state in Germany to adopt a comprehensive concept for developing strategies aimed at combating anti-Semitism. The concept engaged the work of police commissioners for anti-Semitism, the Chief Public Prosecutor’s office and the Berlin Senate. In July 2020, in line with the concept’s main objective, the Society for a Democratic Culture in Berlin (Verein für Demokratische Kultur in Berlin e.V., VDK) established the Regishut project on “Raising Awareness of Anti-Semitism in the Berlin Police Departments”. 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. The co-operation between ODIHR and the Regishut project has facilitated a more effective approach to addressing the challenges of anti-Semitism.