The experiences of Jewish and Romani communities in Central and Eastern Europe over the past 90 years, marked at times by extreme violence, discrimination, and resurgent prejudices, underscore the urgent need for more effective measures to promote inclusivity, equality, and understanding. Collaborative efforts involving institutions that memorialise the historical experiences of these communities and contemporary institutes focused on eradicating hate are key to addressing antisemitism and antigypsyism. This alliance can work to keep the memory of past atrocities alive, promote a multidimensional understanding of these prejudices, and create powerful advocacy coalitions, linking past experiences with present realities to foster a more inclusive and tolerant future.
TOMCAT
The enduring prejudices and discrimination faced by Jewish and Romani communities in Central and Eastern Europe, particularly in Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia (Visegrád Group), hold significant roots in history and continue to manifest in the present day. Deep-seated hostility, known as antisemitism and antigypsyism, escalated during World War II with the Holocaust, a genocide led by the Nazi regime, and continue to persist even after the war. The Jewish survivors largely migrated out of the region, while the Romani populations remained and faced different post-war realities. Today, there’s a resurgence of both antisemitism and antigypsyism, fuelled by far-right nationalism and xenophobia in a region undergoing political and socioeconomic transformations.
As such, in line with the priorities and objectives of the call, the general objective of the TOMCAT project is to counter racism and discrimination experienced by Jewish and Romani communities in the forms of antisemitism and antigypsyism in the Visegrád countries and beyond, by mitigating the dilution of these communities’ historical experiences with the passage of time, rooting these experiences in present day experiences, monitoring and countering current antisemitic and antigypsy threats and incidents, and leveraging lessons learned to build the capacities of a range of stakeholders dedicated to doing so, while improving policy discussion for the further protection and support offered to these communities.
- Develop a single platform which charts unbroken history of antisemitism and antigypsism in the Visegrád countries, from 1939 until present day, and connect this timeline to an observatory for monitoring ongoing threats.
- Improve practices and policies to protect the Visegrád countries from these threats, based on the information mapped in pursuit of objective 1, bringing practitioners in to support platform use and policymakers to expand and sustain the project.
Firstline-practitioners: professionals who work directly with individuals, communities, or clients to provide immediate assistance, support, or services. They are often the first point of contact for individuals seeking help or guidance in various fields, such as social work, healthcare, education, counselling, law enforcement, and community services.
Law Enforcement: individuals who are responsible for maintaining public safety, enforcing laws, preventing crime, and play a critical role in ensuring the safety and security of the communities they serve.
Civil society organisation representatives: those working for non-governmental organisations (NGOs) or community-based organisations (CBOs) on preventing and countering antisemitism and antigypsyism, whether locally or nationally.
Community leaders: individuals who have influence and are respected within Jewish or Romani communities due to their position, skills, actions, or experience. They often serve as a bridge between the community they represent and other entities such as government organisations, nonprofits, or universities.
Members of the judiciary: individuals who preside over legal proceedings and make decisions on legal matters within a given jurisdiction. They are part of a country’s judicial branch of government, which is typically responsible for interpreting laws and administering justice.
Criminal justice civil servants: individuals employed by the government who work in various capacities within the criminal justice system, such as correctional officers, probation/parole officers, case handlers, court personnel, lawyers or public defenders.
Local policymakers: specifically, those working within the context of policies that counter racism, xenophobia, and discrimination, or those offering housing or other forms of social support for Romani communities, and who hold positions of authority and decision-making power at the local level, such as city councillors, mayors, local government officials, and community leaders.
National policymakers: individuals who hold positions of authority at a country’s national or federal level, who are responsible for making, modifying, or influencing public policies, specifically in this case those policies that are relevant to or influential in preventing or countering hate or discrimination.
The general public: who have a personal interest in the topics presented related to preventing and countering antisemitism and antigypsyism, or who would like further information and education on the past and present experiences of Jewish and Romani communities in Central and Eastern Europe.
Violence Prevention Network gGmbH
Project TOMCAT
Alt-Reinickendorf 25
13407 Berlin
