SENTINEL

SENTINEL is a project that aims to provide accurate monitoring of current extremist threats to Jewish places of worship (very broadly understood – also think cemeteries, community centres etc.) in Europe and increase community resilience to attempted physical attacks through awareness and community training. In SENTINEL, ICCT collaborates with 9 other partner organisations, out of which SACC, a security arm of the European Jewish Congress (EJC), is a coordinating partner.

ICCT’s aim is to ensure that SENTINEL’s response is grounded in the expert assessment of the extremist threat. ICCT will produce 34 sensitive monthly newsletters that will include results of online monitoring and offline incident reporting. These will next be distributed to partners and stakeholders. Moreover, ICCT will also publish quarterly reports which will be published on this website. ICCT focuses on physical acts against Jewish places of worship in Europe and anti-Semitic incidents online, insofar as such are connected to dissemination of extremist views. The need for such reporting is underlined in several EU-level initiatives, such as: Global Guidelines on Countering Antisemitism, the Declaration on Jewish Life and Combating Antisemitism, and the Agenda on Counter-Terrorism 2020-2025.

Antisemitism

ICCT follows a widely adopted non-legally binding definition, developed by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), that is ratified by all EU states (except Malta), EU institutions, and many NGOs including the EJC.

“Antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.” (IHRA)

Important Definitions:

Types of incidents:

- Hate Crime is a criminal act committed due to hatred or prejudice based on characteristics such as race, religion, sexual orientation, or disability, such as physical assaults, vandalism, or arson.

- Hate Incident refers to offensive actions or behaviours that do not necessarily constitute a crime, such as insults, threats, or property damage.

- Hate Speech refers to the use of offensive, discriminatory, or prejudiced language targeting an individual or a group

- Online hate speech is hate speech on the internet or social media platforms.

- Place of worship is as any temple, shrine, site, faith community centre or religious school where worship to any religion is practiced. It may also include adjacent streets or educational institutions. This effectively means that ICCT is to report on incidents directed at a relatively high number of targets.