OSCE/ODIHR, Anne Frank House and Serbian Ministry of Education present customized teaching materials on countering anti-Semitism

Customized teaching materials to address anti-Semitism were presented at a train-the-trainer workshop organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the Serbian Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development in Belgrade on 11 and 12 December 2018.

The customized materials were developed by a working group of Serbian education experts led by the Ministry of Education, based on materials prepared by ODIHR and the Anne Frank House. The workshop marks the first step in the full rollout of the teaching materials across Serbia.

“We hope that more participating States will use ODIHR's tools to systematically address anti-Semitism through education,” said Anna Zielinska, ODIHR’s Adviser on Combating Anti-Semitism. “Through our partnership with the Anne Frank House and the Ministry of Education, we are hopeful that the product launched today will eventually reach every school in Serbia.”   

Marija Kuzmanović, Assistant Minister, said: “This publication will provide our teachers with guidance on the best methods to integrate important messages of tolerance into the teaching plans of schools throughout Serbia.”

The teaching materials cover different aspects of anti-Semitism, including the national context, a broader European history of anti-Semitism and its contemporary manifestations. The materials address anti-Semitism in the context of issues such as prejudice, racism, xenophobia and other forms of intolerance.

The teaching materials are already in use in Austria, Croatia, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia, Sweden and Ukraine.