(The Ukrainian Union of Jewish Students) at support of the international Jewish organizations acted as initiator of the first international youth Jewish forum on mass-media "Fact. Fiction. Propaganda: old hate - new technology".

May 25-30 in Kiev "President - hotel" gathered about 100 young Jews from more than 20 countries of Europe and CIS, including Kazakhstan. The experts and Jewish Maecenas were invited with the purpose of discussion of influence of mass-media to growth of anti-Semitic and antiisraelian moods in a society. During discussions and round tables the young people aspired to understand deep essence of a problem, and also to define methods of influence of mass media on a society.

Unfortunately, last time more popular become the editions propagandizing xenophobia. Their circulations are constantly increasing, and the audience extends. Certainly, the discussions occurring on the given forum could not solve urgent problems, but the realization of a forum became the beginning of open discussion and signal to action for the Jewish international community.

Before the participants of a forum the authoritative public figures have acted. Naomi Kramer, executive director Kleinmann Family Foundation, gave the unique presentation which has included in a history of displays of the antiJewish propagation in mass media. Slobodan Homen, Serbian parliamentarian, in details told about information wars and consequences of information propagation in Serbia. Even presently there is a place for genocides. Absolutely recently in 1994 in Rwanda to a national attribute were destroyed tens thousand man. The MASS-MEDIA played a considerable role and in this tragedy, about what told survived experienced genocide tootsie Deogratias Mazina, researcher of University League. About Ukrainian anti-Semitic editions and their influence on moods in a society it was difficult to tell, keeping within short time of lectures, as by quantity of anti-Semitic periodicals and the literature Ukraine takes hardly probable not leading positions. How in modern Ukraine which has accepted the European values of democracy and equality, the antiJewish propagation, told as the experts (Anatoly Podolsky, director of the Centre of study of the Holocaust, and Vyacheslav Likhachev, expert on anti-Semitism of the Euroasian Jewish congress), as and representatives of the Ukrainian mass-media (Kirill Bulkin, journalist conducting of radio "Freedom", and Maxim Butkevitch, journalist of an information service of the telechannel "1+1") prospers. With assistance of "Pinchuk Art Centre" to the participants was the opportunity of viewing and discussions of documentary film about the Holocaust in Ukraine "Spell your name".

The solemn opening of a forum was visited by Mr. Shahar Arieli, assistant of the head of mission of Israel in Ukraine, Mr. Maxim Sergienko, attache of department of cultural and humanitarian cooperation of MIA of Ukraine, Mr. Joseph Zisels, chairman of government of the Euroasian Jewish congress and VAAD of Ukraine, Mr. David Benesh, first secretary of embassy of the state Israel in Ukraine, Mr. Chaim Kapelnikov, head of representation "Sokhnut-Ukraine", chief rabbi Moshe-Reuven Asman, Mr. Stanley Levin, deputy director of committee "Joint" in Central and Western Ukraine, Mr. Oleg Rostovtsev, head of a press-service main rabbinate of Ukraine, the representatives of the Jewish fund of Ukraine and many others.

Among the participants of forum were representatives of the countries with different parameters and kinds of display of anti-Semitism and other kinds of national hostility. To the representatives of Armenia and the Azerbaijan, where to the Jewish community concern with respect, were not clear fears of the representatives of France, where anti-Semitism became one of the most widespread phenomena. The historical roots of anti-Semitism for a long time would be dissolved in a modern society and have lost the urgency, if not "would be warmed up" through mass-media. Various kinds of MASS-MEDIA: the newspapers, Internet, TV, radio outstrip each other in amount xenophobia statements and derivate more new reasons of interconfessional and interethnic hatred. The young people have studied essence of propagation, have found out about its displays and influence in different regions and are ready to resolute actions on struggle with xenophobic propagation in the countries.

That fact is indicative, that the measure of such high level for the first time passed in the Ukrainian capital. The Ukrainian Union of Jewish Students, regularly taking part in the international forums, promotes attraction of attention of the international Jewish organizations to Kiev and to Ukraine as a whole. The union plans regularly to carry out events of international scale in Kiev. Popularization of the Ukrainian capital by all means will result in spiritual revival of Jewish Kiev.


Reference:
The Ukrainian Union of Jewish Students (UUJS) – is pan-Ukrainian organization uniting the young Jewish leaders of Ukraine. The union is the member of the World Union of the Jewish students and European union of the Jewish students, and also cooperates with the international and regional organizations. The basic purpose of organization - is creation and development of youth Jewish community, lobbying and advocacy of interests of Jewish Diaspora and Israel at the international level. The delegations of UUJS regularly take part in measures and sessions of UN and Council of Europe. The young active workers deal with organization of educational seminars, promote development of the international youth exchanges. www.uujs.org

Victoria Godik
Alexey Krasnitsky