LATIN AMERICA - The World Jewish Congress partnered with UNESCO, the Latin American Jewish Congress, B’nai B’rith International, and the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, earlier this week, to organize a training addressing the rise of antisemitism online in Latin America following the Hamas perpetrated terrorist attack on October 7th.
In his keynote remarks, Ambassador Federico Villegas, former Permanent Representative of Argentina to International Organisations in Geneva and former President of the UN Human Rights Council, underscored the intrinsic link between the advocacy for human rights and the fight against antisemitism, saying “neither can one speak nor defend human rights without fighting against antisemitism, it’s as simple as that.”
Ambassador Villegas highlighted three critical strategies to fight antisemitism: leveraging technology for Holocaust education, reinforcing the commitment to the principles established by the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and initiating key discussions on the impact of social media and AI on society.
Commissioner for Monitoring and Combating Anti-Semitism at the Organization of American States (OAS) Fernando Lottenberg emphasized the importance of education in combating antisemitism.
“It is imperative that as societies we commit ourselves to combating antisemitism in all its forms,” Lottenberg said.
The event also examined artificial intelligence’s potential role in disseminating and combating bigotry and delved into the complexities of artificial intelligence and misinformation. Speaking of the event, Yfat Barak-Cheney, Director of Technology and Human Rights at the World Jewish Congress, emphasized, "AI integration is indispensable in our fight against antisemitism and in our ability to respond effectively to emerging threats."
“As the leading international organization connecting and protecting Jewish communities globally, in more than 100 countries, we recognize the dual potential of AI technology as a tool that can either bolster our efforts to detect and respond to antisemitism and bigotry or exacerbate these challenges. Latin America has been severely affected by online antisemitism, particularly following the October 7th terrorist attack against Israel, underlining the urgency of the issue.”
The gathering included a panel discussion with a diverse group of speakers, each contributing deep insights into the fight against antisemitism. Participants included Ariel Seidler of the Latin American Jewish Congress; Ana Cristina Ruelas, UNESCO's advocate for freedom of expression and journalist safety; and Ravit Dotan, CEO of BetterTech.
After the plenary sessions, participants were divided into breakout groups to discuss the core issues surrounding antisemitism and explore potential solutions. The discussions emphasized education and coalition building as crucial strategies in addressing and mitigating the issue.
