Rachel Riley headlines digital hate talk at JFS

An Israel charity held a firstof-its-kind digital conference at JFS tackling online antisemitism, writes Michelle Rosenberg.

The event organised by StandWithUs, saw more than 200 students from JFS, Immanuel and Yavneh colleges in attendance.

Guest speakers including Rachel Riley addressed the crowd, while workshops were given to help pupils identify antisemitism and disinformation relating to Israel and how to effectively counter it.

The digital conference

‘Swipe Up, Rise Up’ (see page three) sought to provide students with the necessary tools needed to tackle the misinformation and disinformation which is seeped into social media platforms.

Speakers included Noam Koren, director of digital strategy at StandWithUs and Ben Rebuck from the Instagram ‘Ben’s Vegan Kitchen’. They shared personal experiences of countering antisemitic hatred online and what drives their work.

In between each talk, students were put into workshops giving them hands on practical skills to help cope with the content they face online daily.

Students were given the unique opportunity to partake in an interactive expo showcasing all the different community organisation there to help support them as they progress through their educational careers and beyond.

Organisations like BICOM, UK Lawyers for Israel, Tribe, MASA Israel, We Believe in Israel, Bnei Akiva, FZY, The Warehouse, Magen David Adom, as well as CST were all represented.

YOUNG PATRONS RAISE £140K

Some 400 young Jewish Care supporters gathered at The Londoner Hotel for the charity’s Young Patrons dinner, raising more than £140,000 to support its services.

Guests heard from Kurt Marx, Holocaust survivor and member of Jewish Care’s Holocaust Survivors’ Centre, who arrived in the UK on Kindertransport in 1939.

A short film shared with guests brought to life what the charity’s services and Holocaust Survivors’ Centre mean to the people who need and use them. Nicole Ashton, chair of the young patrons committee and young Jewish Care committee, appealed to guests to give generously, highlighting the need of both financial support and volunteering from younger members of the community.

Ashton said: “I have been fortunate to witness first-hand how committed Jewish Care is to ensuring that thousands of older people live life to the full.

“I hope you will donate as generously as you can to help Jewish Care through the cost-ofliving crisis so that we can continue to be there for older members of our community and their families.”

Holocaust survivor, Kurt Marx, spoke about the many ways that Jewish Care’s Holocaust Survivors’ Centre members feel supported by the charity and shared his own story.