WJC Addresses North American Mayors Summit to Combat Antisemitism

NEW ORLEANS – At the Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM)’s North American Mayors Summit Against Antisemitism, held from December 2–4, the World Jewish Congress (WJC) Technology and Human Rights Institute joined dozens of mayors, local officials, policymakers, and community partners to explore strategies for combating hate and discrimination. The summit facilitated an exchange of ideas on protecting vulnerable Jewish communities across North America, and the challenges posed by antisemitism both online and in physical spaces.

Throughout the Summit, participants engaged in peer-to-peer conversations and roundtable discussions to reflect on their past achievements and what obstacles remain in educating society about antisemitism, key findings from security reporting, and how these issues manifest across social media, college campuses, and in public society. 

Amongst the speaker lineup was WJC TecHRI Executive Director Yfat Barak-Cheney, who highlighted TecHRI’s work confronting disinformation and online hate speech and explored how municipal leaders can more effectively counter false narratives by promoting credible, accurate information.

“Over 50% of Americans will get their news primarily from social media this year. And social media is not your friends, your neighbors, your family. It is not traditional media. It is a world of bots, foreign interference, and malicious actors. And in that world, minorities lose.” Barak-Cheney noted. “If there is one message I hope to leave with you today, it is that everything is a policy choice. And you are policy makers, and you can influence policies of regulators and of internet companies.”

Asked about getting ahead of the algorithms spreading misinformation, Barak-Cheney responded “You cannot win over the algorithm. But you can get ahead of it by teaching your community how social media works, how the algorithm works, how to report the hate they see online, and how to question the information they encounter and verify their sources. Digital media literacy is key.”