HELSINKI – The World Jewish Congress (WJC) participated in UNESCO’s Northern European Conference on Education and Antisemitism, held December 9–11 in partnership with the OSCE/ODIHR and the European Commission. Hosted by Finland’s Ministry of Education and Culture, the event brought together education policymakers, government officials, and civil society representatives from Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, and Sweden to discuss the impact of antisemitism on students and communities.
Delegates shared best practices on effective safeguards for Jewish students and to identify areas for improvement in the future, equipping educational policymakers and ministries with the knowledge and tools to adequately respond to antisemitism.
Amongst the speaker lineup was Ernest Herzog, Head of Combating Antisemitism, Intelligence & Security at the World Jewish Congress, who touched upon the gap between what is taught about antisemitism within the classroom and what students encounter in their everyday lives. Herzog emphasized the necessity of three foundational pillars to effectively combat antisemitism: integrating the IHRA working definition of antisemitism, establishing a national strategy to combat antisemitism and foster Jewish life, and appointing and empowering a special envoy or coordinator for combating antisemitism, placed adequately within the government structure. Within the educational framework, Herzog proposed several concrete measures:
- Integrating the IHRA working definition of antisemitism into the school curriculums;
- Enforcing mandatory, systematic antisemitism training for teachers;
- Educating students about contemporary Jewish life beyond historical events like the Holocaust;
- Addressing online antisemitism and conspiracy myths; and
- Ensuring full accountability through monitoring, measuring and reporting on an annual basis, in order to ensure steady and continuous progress.
Herzog underscored that these efforts can only be achieved with the presence of strong political will and mutual participation and dialogue between authorities, local Jewish communities and civil society. “The main challenge ahead of us is ensuring that education systems prepare the next generation to recognize and reject antisemitism in all its forms,” he stated. “Not only those of the past.”
The World Jewish Congress has maintained a long-time partnership with UNESCO, working together to enhance educational programs and safeguard internet platforms from hate. The WJC has also partnered with UNESCO and TikTok to connect millions of users with verified educational resources, including aboutholocaust.org. The campaign continues to guide social media platforms to meaningfully address Holocaust distortion and misinformation, and to ensure that younger generations engage with accurate and accessible Holocaust educational resources.
