About

ENCATE is a civil society network that aims to address contemporary antisemitism through education. The members are European nonprofits educating society about/against contemporary and historical aspects of antisemitism.

ENCATE, established by KIgA e.V., is a vital partner for governments, civic actors, and international organizations because it conveys hands-on experience and everyday needs in the educational work countering antisemitism.

ENCATE acknowledges the relevant past and current work of Jewish organizations and communities as well as of international institutions, networks, and NGOs as a frame of reference. Our work strives to be complementary and to add value to the field.

ENCATE adopts and uses the IHRA’s working definition of antisemitism including annexed examples

Member Organizations
 

  • learning platform

  • umbrella structure

Our theory of change is to empower civil society by providing them with

  • a platform of co-learning and exchange for acquiring knowledge and educational skills, developing the capacities of their teams and exploring new solutions and inspiration for their everyday work;
  • an umbrella structure that is leveraged to improve communication and cooperation with policymakers and high-level stakeholders and to obtain recognition and new resources.

Why did we establish the network?

Last Update: 2019

Heinous terror attacks in France, Denmark, and Germany to Synagogues and Jewish institutions sparked apprehension not only among Jewish communities but also for anyone concerned about hate and violence. Some recent researches suggest antisemitism should not be just seen as an isolated terror threat; it is manifested in discriminatory behaviors in everyday life.[1]

If we look at the bright side of the picture, we can see many governmental and non-governmental endeavors to fight antisemitism. However, a multi-faceted problem needs to be countered in multiple ways. Among many, education on current antisemitism is often a neglected area. Even though there are scattered endeavors around Europe, these are not mostly steady nor coordinated on the civil society level.[2]

In this vein, international organizations like UNESCO and OSCE identified the necessity of addressing antisemitism through education.[3] Similarly, the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union underlined the vitality of educational measures to combat antisemitism, including measures strengthening civil society actors.[4]

We understand education as an essential, although not the sole, tool to counter antisemitism and aim to bring together civil society organizations that have programs in the context of formal education or informal and non-formal learning.

[1] Experiences and perceptions of antisemitism: Second survey on discrimination and hate crime against Jews in the EU (Rep.). (2019). Luxembourg: European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights.

[2] Mostly, Holocaust education prevails in the scene. Though, even there are severe problems in that scene of Holocaust education. For instance, in Germany, 40% of young adults know almost nothing about the Holocaust. https://edition.cnn.com/2018/11/28/europe/germany-anti-semitism-education-intl/index.html

[3] Look at Addressing Anti-Semitism through education: Guidelines for policymakers. (2018). Paris: UNESCO and Warsaw: Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. UNESCO Executive Board decided to put education against violent extremism on its priority list (197 EX/Decision 46, November 23, 2016)

[4] Resolution 2017/2692, June 1, 2017; EU Council Declaration on the Fight against Antisemitism, December 6, 2018.

What is the long-term plan?

KIgA e.V. established ENCATE in May 2019 as an informal platform. After we thrive in our activities and concretize our strategy, we will establish an umbrella entity in 2022-23 together with our European nonprofit partners.

Partners
 

Founded in 2003, the Kreuzberg Initiative against Antisemitism (KIgA e.V.) was one of the first German civil society initiatives to develop educational methods for addressing antisemitism.

KIgA works with complex, sensitive, and contentious topics. Its focuses are on the past and current forms of antisemitism, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, anti-Muslim racism, and historical-political education.

www.kiga-berlin.org