Addressing the security needs of Jewish communities focus of OSCE/ODIHR event in Bratislava
Addressing the security needs of Jewish communities was the focus of an event co-organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic, in co-operation with the Interior Ministry of the Slovak Republic, the Jewish Community of Bratislava/Slovakia and the Museum of Jewish Culture, on 14 June 2018.
The event brought together Slovak law-enforcement and Jewish community representatives, as well as officials from other relevant ministries and NGOs, to raise awareness of issues related to ensuring security for Jewish communities. Discussions focused on co-operation between law-enforcement agencies and Jewish communities in Slovakia and the challenges, opportunities and recommendations for such co-operation in the future.
The event also provided an opportunity to present the Slovak-language version of the ODIHR publication Understanding Anti-Semitic Hate Crimes and Addressing the Security Needs of Jewish Communities – A Practical Guide. The publication details practical steps that governments can take, in co-operation with Jewish communities, to prevent and respond to Anti-Semitic hate crimes and better address the security needs of those communities.
Ilan Cohn, ODIHR Project Manager, said: “The Slovak authorities may use the Guide as a roadmap for a thoughtful assessment of the security issues that Jewish and other communities face on a daily basis and consider a wide range of measures they can implement to effectively address them.”
“Tolerance, non-discrimination and respect for diversity are crucial for peaceful co-existence in every society. Responsibility for the protection of all citizens lies with governments in close co-operation with representatives of respective communities and other relevant actors,” said Lukáš Parízek, State Secretary of the Slovak Ministry of Foreign Affairs. “We hope that this meeting will be useful for launching a discussion on the specific challenges posed by anti-Semitism to Jewish communities and also serve as a model for addressing the security needs of other communities that are also vulnerable to hate crimes.”
Building on the expressed interest of Slovak authorities to address anti-Semitism and promote tolerance more generally, ODIHR will organize an additional event in Bratislava from 19 to 21 June, in partnership with the State Pedagogical Institute. This event will provide a platform to consult staff from teacher training institutes and school directors from throughout the OSCE region about the development of a framework curricula and guidance materials to be used to train teachers in addressing intolerance, bias, prejudice, and particularly anti-Semitism.
Source: Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe
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