Antisemitism in Social Media
Working Group Report
How can teachers improve their social media skills? What resources do they need to engage critically with antisemitism in social media? Because teaching professionals are often unfamiliar with the forums used by young people today, they are often unware of the problematic content and antisemitic ideas disseminated in them. In this working group, a member of the Archiv der Jugendkulturen (Archive of Youth Cultures) introduced this subject matter and two teachers reported on their experiences. On the basis of these contributions, participants discussed how teachers can best address this topic in the classroom.
Jutta Weimar moderated the working group with contributions by
- Gabriele Rohmann, Archiv der Jugendkulturen e.V. (Archive of Youth Cultures), Berlin
- Martin Gegenheimer, head of the archive project “New Faces – Combating Antisemitism with Culture and Media”
- André Barth, Ernst Schering Secondary School, Berlin
- Martina Brandes-Parow, B. Traven Secondary School, Berlin
Antisemitism in Social Media
Martin Gegenheimer began his introductory talk by providing an overview of the history and development of the Internet and the innovations brought on by Web 2.0. He described the interactive nature of the new “collaborative web” and addressed content virality (a measure of how often a post is shared or how much attention it gets). He discussed the most important active platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Wikipedia. Based on statistics from German Federal Statistics Office and other sources, Gegenheimer gave participants an idea of the number of users each of these platforms reach and how influential the new media are, especially for young people. Finally, he cited additional data (from the Shell Youth Study and others) to illustrate user behavior.
The main part of Gegenheimer’s talk focused on the appropriation of these relatively new digital media by right-wing extremist groups and the significance of these media for the dissemination of antisemitic content. In this connection Gegenheimer presented data on the spread of antisemitic views and attitudes in German society (from Die destabilisierte Mitte [The Destablized Center] by Decker, Kiess, and Brähler, 2014). Afterward he introduced various examples such as antisemitic content on Facebook, the distribution of antisemitic music on YouTube (e.g. by the rappers Haftbefehl and Bözemann and the band FreiWild), and the creation of parallel/right-wing extremist libraries (e.g. Metapedia). He also discussed the rapper Bushido, who recently uploaded a Twitter profile image that shows a map of the Middle East without Israel. Finally, Gegenheimer reported on the Bild-Zeitung’s campaign “Nie Wieder Juden-Hass” (No More Antisemitism) and the responses it elicited in social networks.
Martin Brandes-Parow and André Barth: A Report from the Classroom
Following this brief introductory presentation, Martina Brandes-Parow from the B. Traven Secondary School in the Berlin district of Spandau and André Barth from the Ernst Schering School in Wedding introduced a series of lessons developed in cooperation with the Archiv der Jugendkulturen and reported on their practical experiences with the lessons in the classroom.
The lessons centered around the film Kaddisch für einen Freund (Kaddish for a Friend) and its various themes, such as hip-hop, traditional music, Nazism, the Middle East conflict, migration, flight, and intergenerational encounters. The two schools also studied the “Per la vita” project by Esther Bejarano and the Microphone Mafia rap group. Both schools were highly impressed with the lessons. It was exciting to see that due to the diverse composition of classes, teachers had very different discussions with the young people on these core issues. It was once again shown just how much “diversity in schools” can influence the practical implementation of political and cultural education.
Contact
Dr. Diana Dressel
Head of Education Department
T +49 (0)30 259 93 515
d.dressel@jmberlin.de
Jewish Museum Berlin
Lindenstraße 9–14
10969 Berlin
Conference Documentation: Schools and Museums Conference Working Groups (19)
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Schools and Museums Conference Working Groups
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Raising Awareness of Diversity
Working Group Report, group with Dr. Czarina Wilpert (Eine Welt der Vielfalt e. V.) and Grit Gottschalk (Ernst-Schering-Schule, Berlin), moderator: Meral El (Jewish Museum Berlin)
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A Three-Perspective Approach
Bringing Together an Interculturally Aware School, a Diversity-Focused Museum, and Anti-Discrimination Education, panel with Zahide Doğaç, Ibrahim Gülnar and Leontine Meijer-van Mensch, moderator: Dr. Rosa Fava
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Language across the Curriculum
Report on a Working Group by Lilo Martens
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Learning to Talk about Racist Discrimination
Report on a Working Group by Toan Nguyen
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Exhibitions are Created by Museums, Right? On the Varied Significance of Exhibitions for Schools
Working Group Report, group with Petra Zwaka, Silvia Linnenbürger and Jutta Dücker, moderator: Dr. Diana Dressel
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Diversity through Participation: How Student Participation Can Help Schools Manage Diversity Effectively
Working Group Report, group with Karin Schreibeis and Sandra Christall, moderator: Andrea Blaneck
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Learning about History in a Multiethnic Society
Working Group Report, with inputs by Dr. Elke Gryglewski (Haus der Wannsee-Konferenz, Berlin), Selman Erkovan (educational consultant, Berlin) and Fabian Schnedler (Jewish Museum Berlin), moderator: Ulrike Wagner (University of Leipzig)
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Diversity in Literature for Young People
Working Group Report, impulses by André Barth (Ernst-Schering-Oberschule, Berlin), Ulrich Hipler (B.-Traven-Oberschule, Berlin) and Nina Wilkens (Jewish Museum Berlin)
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How Can Political Leaders and Society Support Intercultural Awareness at Schools?
Report on a Panel Discussion with Özcan Mutlu, Evelin Lubig-Fohsel, André Barth and Dr. Diana Dressel, moderator: Dr. Nkechi Madubuko
Video
13 Oct 2014 -
Fond of Difference and Critical of Discrimination: The Challenges Facing Educational Institutions in a Multiethnic Society
Report on a Talk by Professor Paul Mecheril (Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg), followed by a discussion led by Dr. Anja Durdel (German Children and Youth Foundation)
Video
14 Oct 2014 -
Opportunities, Challenges, and Approaches to Successful Collaboration between Schools and Museums
Report on the World Café, moderator: Jutta Weimar
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“We want to change things – but only with the help of others!”
Working Group Report, input by Andrea Blaneck, moderator: Marlous Behrendt (both: Deutsche Kinder- und Jugendstiftung, Berlin)
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Caught between Identification and External Perceptions: What Constitutes “School”?
Working Group Report, inputs by Heinrich Meise (Refik-Veseli-Sekundarschule, Berlin), Markus Schega and Dr. Michael Senn (Nürtingen Grundschule, Berlin), and Friedhelm Botsch (Hermann-Hesse-Schule, Berlin), moderator: Meral El (Jewish Museum Berlin)
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Educational Theater: Methods and Approaches for Educators in Schools and Museums
Working Group Report, group with Laura Söllner, Anja Scheffer, Heidemarie Link and Eva Albert , moderator: Dr. Diana Dressel
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Working with Biographies to Increase Cultural Awareness
Working Group Report, group with Franziska Bogdanov, Beate Klammt, Rainer Brieske and Michael Merbitz, moderator: Sarah Hiron
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Film as a Method in Anti-Discrimination Education
Working Group Report, group with Gunnar Meyer and Vera March-Berg, moderator: Fabian Schnedler
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Marginalized Biographies: Using the Life Stories of Jews, Roma, and Sinti in Educational Work
Working Group Report, group with Steffen Jost and Katharina Obens, moderator: Ulrike Wagner (University of Leipzig)
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Antisemitism in Social Media
Working Group Report, group with Gabriele Rohmann and Martin Gegenheimer (Archiv der Jugendkulturen e. V., Berlin), André Barth (Ernst-Schering-Oberschule, Berlin) and Martina Brandes-Parow (B.-Traven-Oberschule, Berlin), moderator: Jutta Weimar
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Schools and Museums in a Society Shaped by Migration
Reflections on the Conference, moderators: Dr. Anja Durdel (Deutsche Kinder- und Jugendstiftung) and Tanja Petersen (Jewish Museum Berlin)