EJC Executive Vice-President and CEO Raya Kalenova participated in a webinar entitled “An accelerated push to tackle antisemitism: The Double German Presidency” on June 22nd.
The webinar was hosted by MEP Nicola Beer, Vice President of the European Parliament and Chair of the Working Group against Antisemitism (WGAS) and MEP Sergey Lagodisky, WGAS Vice-Chair, in cooperation with the EJC and B’nai B’rith International.
Ahead of the German presidency of the Council of the European Union, and of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, participants discussed the potential of this double presidency to strengthen initiatives antisemitism, building on the momentum acheived by the historic Council declaration of 6 December 2018 and adopting best practices from across the EU.
Joining Ms. Kalenova were H.E. Ambassador Michaela Küchler, Chair of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), Dr. Felix Klein, Commissioner for Jewish Life and the Fight against Antisemitism in Germany, Dr Jurij Aston, Head of Political Affairs at the Permanent Representation of the Federal Republic of Germany to the EU and Benjamin Guttmann, President of the European Union of Jewish Students.
Althought the first priority of the upcoming German presidency of the Council will be coordinating the European response to the coronavirus crisis, the debate focused on which areas the German Presidency could give an impulse to, including the fight against online hate speech and disinformation, guaranteeing the security of Jewish communities and institutions, and promoting Holocaust education.
The discussion was moderated by Ariella Woitchik, EJC Director of European Affairs and Alina Bricman Director of EU Affairs at B’nai Brith International. The European Jewish Congress acts as Secretariat and Advisor to the European Parliament Working Group against Antisemitism.
Watch the webinar here :
You can also watch the conversation on facebook.