"The anti-Semitism of others": Series of events for Bocholt and Borken encourages reflection

On November 2 and 3, three events were held in Bocholt and Borken with a total of 105 participants. The topic of "anti-Semitism" raised many questions, and the participants enriched the event with numerous contributions.

Cooperation on the "Week for the Remembrance of the Reich Pogrom Night

Shortly before the 84th anniversary of the crimes of the Reichspogromnacht, the Adult Education Center in Bocholt and the Integration Agency with a focus on anti-discrimination work of the Caritas Association Borken in cooperation with the Municipal Integration Center in the district of Borken, the Vocational College Bocholt West and the Vocational College Borken organized a series of events on the topic of "anti-Semitism".

The events were intended for students and teachers. A total of 80 students and 25 teachers took part with interest.

After a brief look at the history of Jews in the Islamic world, the speaker Dr. Piecha introduced the meaning of terms such as "anti-Zionism", "criticism of Israel" and "anti-Semitism". He also encouraged discussion of the background, and the students engaged with the topic in an inquisitive and sometimes controversial manner.

Lively participation and questions

One student came forward to say, among other things, "I think it's important that you present these issues to us at school. These issues are important for our future." But other students also expressed their conflicting feelings about the topic: "Is anti-Semitism also racism, Dr. Piecha, or what?" are just excerpts from the numerous requests to speak directly about the topic or about neighboring topics, such as experiences with the Islamic State, violent videos on the Internet, or prejudices against Arabs.

Ms. Oshana-Tchiri from the Caritas Association Borken: "The two-year network work is bearing its first fruits and the ideas for the next commemoration week are already being planned".