VIENNA, 4 November 2010 - Education ministry officials and experts from across the OSCE region will meet on Monday in Vienna to discuss how to best combat anti-Semitism through education at a meeting organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR).

The event, which takes place ahead of the anniversary of the 9 November 1938 pogroms in Nazi-Germany, will be opened by Austria’s Education Minister, Claudia Schmied.

Among the participants will be Rabbi Andrew Baker, the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairmanship on Combating Anti-Semitism, and representatives of the Council of Europe; the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights; the Task Force on International Co-operation on Holocaust Education, Remembrance and Research, and UNESCO. Academics and educational experts also will take part.

The meeting aims to identify successful approaches, share good practices, and discuss challenges in the field of combating anti-Semitism through education.

ODIHR has worked with education ministries in 14 OSCE participating States on educational programmes to address anti-Semitism, including through the development of customized teaching materials for secondary schools.

Journalists are invited to attend the opening of the meeting, which will be held from 9.00 to 9.30 on 8 November in the Hofburg Congress Centre, Bibliotheksaal (5th floor). Journalists wishing to arrange interviews with participants are encouraged to contact the OSCE Press and Public Information Section.

Direct link to the press-release