The logo of OSCE

The Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) has recently announced a unique opportunity to aid in widening the breadth of scholarship and educational material related to anti-Semitism. The OSCE is an organization which “works for stability, peace and democracy for more than a billion people, through political dialogue about shared values and through practical work that contributes to sustainable progress.”

This opportunity is within the framework of ODIHR’s Words into Action (WIA) project.  WIA focuses on identifying key classroom challenges when addressing anti-Semitism across the OSCE region, and formulating practical recommendations for educators to address these challenges. This program helps with a review of existing literature, the implementation of recommendations and changes, and the drafting of “aide–mémoires” for secondary school teachers. WIA intends to offer secondary school teachers with strong backgrounds in pedagogy a chance to help change educational practices in the face of rising anti-Semitism.

For this new opportunity in regards to WIA, ODIHR is seeking a qualified organization (private or public) to develop full course curricula and guidance materials for primary, secondary and vocational pre-service teacher training. The call builds on advice received in a recent consultation meeting in Paris. ODIHR is looking only for a simple “Expression of Interest” now, and will move to the next stage (getting the full package of applications, proposals, quotes, and documentation) in September-October, with the intention of selecting and contracting by the end of 2017.

The deadline for applications is Wednesday, September 14, 2017.  The work on the curricula should start in January 2018.

More information can be found here:  http://www.osce.org/odihr/334321

On Tuesday, September 12, 2017, the LDB chapter at UC Berkeley School of Law will host Professor Abraham Bell, to speak on Terrorism and the Law. Professor Bell teaches at the University of San Diego School of Law Bar Ilan University, and teaches and writes in the areas of property, copyright, international law, and economic analysis of law. Prof. Bell clerked for Justice Mishael Cheshin of the Supreme Court of Israel and for the High Court of Justice Department within the Israeli State Attorney’s office, and he is a veteran of the Israel Defense Forces. A highly sought-after expert on international law and the Arab-Israeli conflict, he has advised officials on four continents. His published articles on the subject include Palestine, Uti Possidetis Juris and the Borders of Israel (with Eugene Kontorovich); A Critique of the Goldstone Report and its Treatment of International Humanitarian Law; and The Mythical Post-2005 Israeli Occupation of the Gaza Strip (with Dov Shefi).