‘Antisemitism Is Anything But Academic. To Fight It, We Need Stories’

Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) Director of European Affairs Shannon Seban visited England and Belgium this week for a series of work meetings and speaking appearances.

In London on Monday, Seban was a panelist at the Storyteller’s Forum, hosted at Saint Paul’s Church by the Abraham Women’s Alliance, a project of Empower Women Media.

“Antisemitism is anything but academic — it lives in our streets, our schools, our social media,” Seban said. “To fight it, we need stories: powerful stories of faith, resilience, and women who refuse to be silenced.”

“Sharing our stories is not only about memory, it is about transformation,” she added. “By bearing witness, to antisemitism, to discrimination, to the struggles for freedom of faith and belief, we inspire others to act, and we give society the strength to change.”

On Wednesday in Brussels, Seban participated in a European Parliament event organized by the International Movement for Peace & Coexistence (IMPAC) and held under the banner of “Bridging Divides: Addressing Polarization & Radicalization Among Europe’s Youth.”

In her remarks, Seban recalled antisemitic rhetoric she personally had faced in her life. “Because I am Jewish… I was [said to be] supporting a genocide, and… a killer of babies,” she stated. “On a daily basis… hate, radicalization, [and] extremism is coming from ignorance.”

“When you deny the very right of the people to have his own territory… the red line is crossed,” Seban noted.

Seban called on authorities “to denounce, to punish, and to privilege free education as a means to fight any kind of hatred.”

Event co-host MEP Sabrina Repp said, “What happens on social media does not stay there. The same values and boundaries must apply as in real life.”

Fellow co-host MEP Antonio López-Istúriz White said, “Our first line of defense is education… Democracies have won before; we can do it again.”