The virtual meeting will clearly articulate antisemitism as a form of racism, and part of humanity’s ongoing propensity to divide people from one another.

JERUSALEM, ISRAEL, May 5, 2022 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The Anti-Racism Initiative of the G20 Interfaith Forum (IF20), the world’s leading organization focused on the intersection of faith and policy, in collaboration with the Peres Academic Center and the International Academy for Multicultural Cooperation, is gathering world-renowned experts on Israel, law and religion to discuss antisemitism, its origins and its effects.

Speakers will include Natan Sharansky, the only living non-American citizen to receive both the Congressional Medal of Honor and the Presidential Medal of Freedom; and Yuli-Yoel Edelstein, whose imprisonment in a Siberian Gulag for teaching Hebrew led to a worldwide struggle for his freedom, and who went on after his release to serve as Speaker of the Knesset and minister in the Israeli government. Dr. Peter Petkoff, Senior Law Lecturer at the Brunel Law School, Director of the Religion, Law and International Relations Programme at Regents Park College, Oxford.

Asher Maoz, who will moderate the webinar, wrote the following statement on behalf of the IF20 Anti-Racism Initiative:

“Antisemitism, beyond being among the oldest and ugliest manifestations of racism, is almost the archetype for what might be called evolutionary racism,” Maoz said. “Practitioners of antisemitism seem possessed of a capacity for infinite variation in their appalling actions. In our century, as in the past, new expressions of this racist tradition continue to emerge. One of the most common is to twist legitimate critique of policies and practices of the State of Israel in such a way as to thinly disguise antisemitism as moral outrage against Israel. … The argument underlining the webinar is that Jews may be criticized as any other human beings, but not because they are Jews. Likewise, Israel might be criticized as any other state, but not because it is Jewish.”

A working definition of antisemitism proposed by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) has been adopted by a significant number of entities worldwide: governments, religious communities, municipalities, universities, and civil society organizations.

It states, “Antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.”

The virtual meeting covering antisemitism will take place on May 9, 2022 at 11 am EDT, and will aim to accomplish three purposes:
1. Discuss the origins and evolutionary expressions of antisemitism from the Ancient World to today
2. Clearly articulate antisemitism as a form of racism, and part of humanity’s ongoing propensity to divide people from one another
3. Discuss the IHRA definition of antisemitism, aiming to determine its suitability for use in G20 contexts

Register for the free webinar at https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_72QHUHgsSxCO6wG257u1Dg
Speakers will include:
• Asher Maoz – Founding Dean of the Peres Academic Center Law School and Head of the Committee of Int’l Academic Relations
• Yuli-Yoel Edelstein – Member of the Israeli Knesset and former Speaker of the Knesset and member of the cabinet; one of the most prominent refuseniks in the Soviet Union and a former Prisoner of Zion
• Natan Sharansky – Chair of the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy (ISGAP); recipient of the Israel Prize for promoting Aliyah and the ingathering of the exiles, the Congressional Medal of Honor, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom; Former prisoner of Zion
• Dr. Peter Petkoff – Senior Law Lecturer at the Brunel Law School; Director of the Religion, Law and International Relations Programme at Regents Park College, Oxford; Managing Editor of the Oxford Journal of Law and Religion

About the G20 Process

The Group of Twenty, or G20, is the premier forum for international economic cooperation,
bringing together the leaders of Earth’s most prosperous economies. Collectively, G20
members represent around 80 percent of the world’s economic output, two-thirds of the
global population and three-quarters of international trade. Throughout the year,
representatives from G20 countries gather to discuss financial and socioeconomic issues as
well as broader humanitarian issues targeted by the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

About the G20 Interfaith Forum

The G20 Interfaith Forum seeks global solutions by collaborating with religious thought
leaders and political representatives to help shape the overall G20 agenda. It draws on the
vital roles that religious institutions and beliefs play in world affairs, reflecting a rich
diversity of institutions, ideas, and values. Through its extensive network of networks, it
helps prioritize key global policy goals and points toward practical means of implementation
at every level of society.

For more information, please visit www.g20interfaith.org.

Marianna Richardson
G20 Interfaith Forum
+1 801-692-1442
email us here
Visit us on social media:
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn