A new initiative was launched this week to coincide with International Holocaust Remembrance Day called ProZ, which will train online influencers and aspiring influencers to lead the fight against antisemitism.
The online training will include 6 sessions and will begin this coming February. The course will mentor activists to become masters in combating antisemitic content and act together against hatred on social media. The initiative will increase the number of activists committed to the cause, to professionalize the authentic voice of civil society and to change the dialogue on antisemitism from reactive to proactive.
The course will focus on issues such as classic and contemporary trends of antisemitism, image effective messaging, the secrets of social media, social media monitoring and how to turn from individual to influencer.
Many known figures in the fight against antisemitism are supporting the ProZ initiative.
“To succeed in the struggle against these dangerous phenomena, we have to confront antisemitism on all fronts simultaneously—those who hate and demonize Jewish people and those who hate and demonize Israel as the State of Jewish people,” said Natan Sharansky, chair of ISGAP—The Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy and a former Jewish Agency chairman. “We have to pay special attention to social media, which acts as an accelerator of hatred and racism towards Jews and others. We need to find creative solutions at the individual and group level. Therefore, the ProZ initiative is very important. I applaud their efforts.”
“The Simon Wiesenthal Center is honored to participate in the groundbreaking ProZ project,” said Rabbi Abraham Cooper, associate dean and director of Global Social Action Agenda for the Simon Wiesenthal Center. “It is designed to empower young people who want to defend Israel where it counts today, on social media. We all face a tsunami of online antisemitism and tomorrow’s influencers need to know how to respond.”
“This initiative to train influencers to fight antisemitism is a very important initiative and we are proud to partner with professionals and organizations to further improve the fight against Antisemitism. Antisemitism is not a new term, but a terrible phenomenon that reinvents itself in various forms which must be combatted.” stated Yaakov Hagoel, Chairman of the World Zionist Organization and Acting Chairman of The Jewish Agency for Israel.
Among the influencers who will take part in the program as guest speakers are Hayvi Bouzo, a Syrian journalist based in D.C. and the founder of Yalla Productions, a fast-paced entertainment program in Arabic that gives a glimpse into the exciting characters shaping the future of the Middle East; and Eyal Baumel, the CEO of Yoola, a leading YouTube multi-channel network (MCN); and influencers-focused development platform for content, experiences, products and brands.
Registration is at: https://www.prozproject.com.
By Jewish Link Staff
