Part VI
The Simon Wiesenthal Center
The Simon Wiesenthal Center (SWC) is a global Jewish human rights organization that confronts antisemitism, hate, stands with Israel, defends the safety of Jews worldwide, and teaches the lessons of the Holocaust for future generations. It is an accredited nongovernmental organization (NGO) at the U.N., UNESCO and the Organization of American States, the Latin American Parliament, and the Council of Europe.
Digital Terrorism and Hate Project
SWC’s research department publishes special reports highlighting a range of topical subjects from antisemitism to online hate to extremism. For over a quarter of a century, as part of its Digital Terrorism and Hate Project, an annual interactive report has been published highlighting the promotion of online extremism, hate and antisemitism. The project explores how the internet is used by extremists to promote their ideologies and recruit individuals, often on the cutting edge of digital advances. Reports are shared with law enforcement, educators and elected officials.
For more information, and to report hate content online, please email [email protected]. To access the Digital Terrorism and Hate project, please visit www.digitalhate.net.
Moriah Films is the two-time Academy Award-winning film division of the Simon Wiesenthal Center. It has produced 17 documentaries that have examined the tragedy of the Holocaust, seminal events in modern Jewish history, the creation of the State of Israel and the lives of epic personalities of the 20th and 21st centuries. Over one billion people around the globe have seen Moriah’s films, including Oscar winners “Genocide” and “The Long Way Home,” in theaters, on cable, and on every major streaming platform, including Netflix, Amazon Prime and Apple TV.
InMotion Magazine, the Simon Wiesenthal Center’s publication which is sent to its members as well as government officials, and members of the media. InMotion details the Center’s vast social action agenda and its programs throughout the world.
StandWithUs (https://www.standwithus.com/)
StandWithUs is an international, nonpartisan education organization that supports Israel and fights antisemitism. StandWithUs empowers and energizes students and communities with leadership training and educational programs on hundreds of college campuses, high schools and middle schools. StandWithUs informs through social media, print and digital materials, films, weekly newsletters and missions to Israel.
Founded in 2001 and headquartered in Los Angeles, the organization has programs on six continents with chapters and offices throughout the U.S., Israel, the Netherlands, the U.K., Canada, Brazil and South Africa.
StandWithUs is not politically aligned in any country. The organization does not and has never advocated specific policies for Israel. “Our work and respect for Israel’s democratically elected government are not contingent on which parties are in power. Our goal is to counter antisemitism, educate the public about Israel, empower others to educate their communities, and make it possible to have reasonable, informed conversations about Israel’s history, policies and humanitarian aid on campuses and in communities around the world.”
The Louis D. Brandeis Center (https://brandeiscenter.com/)
The Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law is an independent, unaffiliated, nonprofit corporation established to advance the civil and human rights of the Jewish people and promote justice for all. LDB engages in research, education and legal advocacy to combat the resurgence of antisemitism on college and university campuses, in the workplace, and elsewhere. It empowers students by training them to understand their legal rights and educates administrators and employers on best practices to combat racism and antisemitism.
In the 21st century, the leading civil and human rights challenge facing North American Jewry is the resurgent problem of antisemitism and anti-Israelism on university campuses. This social problem requires an immediate, effective and coordinated legal response. LDB will provide the research resources, public policy education and legal advocacy needed to fight this battle within the broader context of the pursuit of universal principles of justice. “While LDB’s primary focus is on the North American college campus, we approach this problem as inseparable from certain global forms of hate and bias and from new media forms of communication and dissemination.”
The civil and human rights of the Jewish people are inextricably bound to the pursuit of justice for all peoples. The Louis D. Brandeis Center, Inc., promotes justice for all as a means of securing the rights of the Jewish people and secures the rights of the Jewish people as a means of advancing justice for all.
Liberate Art Inc. (https://www.liberateart.net)
Liberate Art is a leader in fighting the cultural boycott campaign (BDS) against Israel and connects the international entertainment industry to Israel.
The Problem
The cultural boycott campaign is the newest and potentially most dangerous weapon of the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement.
When an artist books a trip (or concert) to Israel, BDS groups pressure him or her to cancel. They create photo-shopped images falsely associating Israel with destruction, racism, apartheid, the murder of children and worse. They circulate slanderous statements, letters and petitions about both Israel and the artist on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Let’s face it: Celebrities make the news. So even when an artist refuses to cancel (hundreds perform every year and very few cancel), the campaign and its false accusations get covered in publications across the world. Social media “sharing” spreads the lies further.
On the flip side, when Israeli artists perform for a foreign audience, there are calls for the venue to cancel; performances are disrupted; and audiences are forced to walk past intimidating protesters. This negative association creates a false impression of Israel and subjects Israeli artists to harassment and discrimination.
The Solution
The goal of the cultural boycott is the same as other forms of BDS—to make Israel look like a villain—but the effective way to counter it is radically different. Here we can go on the offensive and bring the battle to BDS.
“When we reveal the cultural BDS strategies of intimidation, discrimination and censorship, we focus on the morality of the cultural boycott campaign itself. It’s a winning argument that puts BDS on the defensive.
“When celebrities speak out against the cultural boycott and support pro-Israel organizations and missions, we are striking a blow against BDS lies and propaganda.
“Liberate Art educates artists and audiences alike about the tactics, strategies and goals of the cultural boycott campaign. We help pro-Israel, pro-peace groups execute their great ideas and projects, and we provide a platform for artists to speak out against BDS.
“Our expertise stems from our one-on-one conversations/correspondence with close to a thousand representatives of artists targeted by the BDS.
“We have years of experience watching, analyzing and influencing the evolution of the cultural boycott campaign.”
Students Supporting Israel (SSI) (https://www.ssimovement.org/)
SSI is a pro-Israel international campus movement that supports the State of Israel. “Our mission is to be a clear and confident pro-Israel voice on college campuses and to support students in grassroots pro-Israel advocacy.
“We provide students on college campuses and universities with the opportunity to support the position of Israel in the Middle East, and reassure students who oppose the demonization of the State of Israel on campus that they are not alone—but a part of a larger, united movement.
Ariel Center for Policy Research (http://www.acpr.org.il/English/pp-index-e.htm)
The Ariel Center for Policy Research (ACPR) was established in 1997 as a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, committed to stimulating and informing the national and international debates concerning all aspects of security policy—notably those policies which are an outcome of the political process started in Oslo and subsequently called the Peace Process.
Peace is a noble challenge and there is no other nation in the world which needs peace more than Israel. However, a true peace can only be obtained in the Middle East if Israeli security and national interests are safeguarded. A peace which will force Israel to its pre-1967 borders, i.e., losing those territorial assets critically needed for the very existence of the Jewish State will not be but a recipe for war.
The ACPR has taken upon itself to help crystallize a strategic design for the State of Israel. This will be presented to the policymakers and general public by various means. Among them, research and policy papers, forums of experts, video and film productions, an internet site, publishing house and a major journal of strategic thought.
Dr. Alex Grobman is the senior resident scholar at the John C. Danforth Society, a member of the Council of Scholars for Peace in the Middle East and on the advisory board of the National Christian Leadership Conference of Israel (NCLCI). He has an MA and PhD in contemporary Jewish history from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
