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Antisemitism and Islamophobia Awareness Raising Seminar, 27-28 January 2009.

This training aims to increase awareness of Islamophobia and Anti-Semitism and to develop skills that address discrimination. This project is part of CEJI’s wider Religious Diversity and Anti-Discrimination Training which received the Gold Award for Life Long Learning from the European Commission in 2008. This project has support from members of the European Platform for Jewish Muslim Co-operation and the seminar follows the successful pilot held last May.
If you wish to know more click here.
Registration forms can be found here.
If you require further information email us.

Religious Diversity Courses for Adult Educators, 2009.

April 26 – May 1, 2009 (French) Lisbon, Portugal.
May 3 – May 8, 2009 (German) Lisbon, Portugal.
November 22 – November 27 (English) Brussels, Belgium.
Note: The deadline for Mobility Grant applications for the April and May courses in Portugal is January 15, 2009 while the deadline for the English course in Brussels is June 30, 2009.

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Religious Diversity 2-Day Workshops

December 13- December 14, 2008 (Bulgarian) Turgovishte, Bulgaria
February 18-19, 2009 (French) Paris, France.
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A Happy 2009 for EPTO!

2009 will be a very busy year for the EPTO network due to the fact that our Multi-Measures project called "PEER I AM" was accepted by the European Commission's Youth In Action Program. EPTO plans to address minority rights via peer training throughout the various phases of this project. The Multi-Measure Project will begin with a seminar offering theoretical and practical input, giving EPTO peer trainers the opportunity to become professional trainers.
Three training courses will open up the possibility training for 60 new European peer trainers. These peer trainers/participants will come from specific minorities, namely religious, sexual and ethnic/racial. EPTO will create and/or adapt special educational material for the development of the three trainings under the titles Religious Diversity, Gender-based Discrimination and Homophobia, and Racism.
The final seminar will act as a platform where everyone can meet to share, learn, perform and undergo evaluation as trainers. EPTO plans to spread the word and give visibility to the outcomes of the project for the benefit of all youth NGOs sector in Europe. So dear young readers, keep an eye on your email inbox as you will soon have an opportunity to develop your skills!
Julie Godfroid, European Co-ordinator for EPTO.

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Other News

CEJI Director at European Commission Interfaith Dialogue Panel Robin Sclafani, CEJI’s Director, participated in a conference entitled “Intercultural dialogue: a challenge for faiths and convictions?”, which was organised by the European Commission on November 11 in Brussels.
A part of the events during the European Year for Intercultural Dialogue, the conference addressed a number of issues related to religions, convictions and dialogue. During the panel in which Robin participated along with other representatives of faith-based or convictional organisations, various questions were raised about the capacities of such organisations to conduct interfaith dialogue between themselves on an equal basis.
Based on its experience in combating discrimination, diversity education and Jewish Muslim co-operation, and as a longstanding partner of the European Commission, CEJI is proud to help facilitate the Commission’s work to create a more inclusive Europe

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Platform for Intercultural Europe.

During an informal members’ meeting in Stockholm on 11-12 November, Gidon van Emden, CEJI's Deputy Director responsible for EU Policy and Jewish Affairs, was appointed as a member of the Steering Group of the Platform for Intercultural Europe.
Having been involved for nearly two years with the creation of the Platform, and its “Rainbow Paper: Intercultural Dialogue – from practice to policy and back”, CEJI is proud to support this important grassroots-organising initiative at European level, and glad to consolidate its involvement with the Platform through Gidon’s membership of the Steering Group.
The Steering Group is responsible for leading the Platform’s vision and creating a practical work plan for the coming years, enabling grassroots as well as European initiatives to increase the effects of intercultural work throughout the continent.

To read and endorse the Rainbow Paper, please click here here.

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CEJI Presentation at EU Civil Society Seminar.

CEJI presented an analysis of European Jewish-Muslim co-operation initiatives at a workshop entitled “Diasporic Identities and EU Civil Society: Jews, Muslims and Israel”, on November 13-14 in London.
Co-organised by the Institute for Jewish Policy Research and the Center for the Study of European Politics and Society at Ben-Gurion University , the workshop brought together experts from Europe, Israel and the United States, who discussed the positions of Jewish and Muslim communities in the European Union.
Drawing on CEJI’s experience in the field, and on its work for the European Platform for Jewish Muslim Co-operation , Gidon van Emden, CEJI’s Deputy Director for European Policy and Jewish Affairs, elaborated on the careful road taken by so many grassroots initiatives which try to decrease tension and build bridges while not shunning the difficult topics. His presentation can be found click here.

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Staff News

2009 promises to be a dynamic year for CEJI with various staff changes and additions:
Julie Godfroid has taken up the position of EPTO’s European Co-ordinator.
Ruth Friedman has moved into a new position as Education Programmes Manager and will continue to facilitate the European Jewish Muslim Cooperation Platform until a replacement can be arranged.

CEJI also welcomes two new interns to the office:
Raphaëlle Paradis is working with CEJI full-time for the next few months following the developments of the new Equality Directive.
Laura Leysten is working with CEJI, conducting research that supports CEJI’s work with Islamophobia and Jewish Muslim relations.
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