First digital conference for teenagers tackling antisemitism online

An Israel educational charity held a digital conference at JFS, centred around tackling antisemitism online.

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, whilst 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’ sought to provide students with the necessary tools needed to tackle the misinformation and disinformation which is seeped into social media platforms. Speakers for the conference included Noam Koren, director of digital strategy at StandWithUs, Dan from the ‘Modern Maccabee’ Instagram account, and Ben Rebuck from the Instagram ‘Ben’s Vegan Kitchen’. All three shared their personal experiences of countering antisemitic hatred online, and what drives them to continue their vital 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.

The conference concluded with an address from Rachel Riley who reflected on her battle with the antisemitism she faced, her Jewish identity growing up and how she stood up to bullies who sought to defame her. She received a standing ovation from the audience.

Yehuda Fink, director of schools and youth programming, said: “Swipe Up, Rise Up was an idea to inspire confidence in a new generation of young adults in the fight against antisemitism, as they prepare to face it in the post-school world. Leading this event would not have been possible without the incredible work of my colleagues at StandWithUs UK and the enthusiasm of the pupils in attendance. We want to build on this amazing day, and we are only just getting started!”