A panel moderated by journalist Benjamin Back brought together Ana Beatriz Prudente Alckmin, Cris Monteiro, Fernanda Scarambone, Juliana Leite (Julie Milk), and Ale Chianelli to discuss antisemitism, the war of narratives, and the attacks faced by those who chose to speak out publicly after October 7.\n<\/p>\n
Five women who have stood out publicly in defense of Israel and in confronting antisemitism gathered in S\u00e3o Paulo to share their experiences and the reasons why they refused to remain silent after the October 7 massacre. Ana Beatriz Prudente Alckmin, Cris Monteiro, Fernanda Scarambone, Juliana Leite, and Ale Chianelli participated in the event \u201cBeyond Silence \u2013 Courage to Speak and Strength to Transform\u201d, held at Espa\u00e7o Mitzpe, Hebraica S\u00e3o Paulo.\n<\/p>\n
With the venue packed, the debate was led by journalist and presenter Benjamin Back, who also shared his own experience with the rise of antisemitism on social media. Back spoke about the attacks he endured and the loss of countless followers for never ceasing to publicly affirm his Jewish identity.\n<\/p>\n
Throughout the evening, the participants described how the events of October 7 marked a turning point in their lives and public engagement. Shock at the brutality of the attacks and, later, the relativization of Hamas\u2019s crimes emerged as a common theme. The sexual violence against Israeli women and the silence of parts of the feminist movement regarding these crimes sparked some of the most forceful statements.\n<\/p>\n
The decision to speak out, however, came with consequences. The women recounted receiving death threats, sexually violent messages, and even facing lawsuits because of their public positions. Still, they emphasized that remaining silent in the face of antisemitism was no longer an option.\n<\/p>\n
Antisemitism, Universities, and the War of Narratives<\/p>\n
Another central theme was the university environment. According to accounts shared, antisemitism on campuses had been building even before October 7 and intensified to the point where young Jews began hiding their identity. Incidents of aggression and antisemitic demonstrations within educational institutions were also mentioned.\n<\/p>\n
The participants highlighted what they described as two simultaneous wars: the physical conflict in Israel and a war of narratives, fought especially in the press and on social media. In this context, they stressed the importance of independent journalism and digital platforms as counterweights to the spread of false or decontextualized information.\n<\/p>\n
The debate also touched on the risks of reducing Israel to a matter of Brazilian political polarization. The simplistic association of the left with anti-Israel positions and the right with pro-Israel stances was deemed dangerous, as it turns the fight against antisemitism into a partisan issue.\n<\/p>\n
In their view, the antisemitism that became more visible after October 7 did not originate then, but found space to move from the margins into normalization. They also pointed to the trivialization of the word \u201cZionist\u201d as an insult and the adoption of antisemitic rhetoric by young people often without knowledge of history or even of what antisemitism means.\n<\/p>\n
It Starts with the Jews, but It Doesn\u2019t End with the Jews<\/p>\n
More than diagnosing the problem, the event ended with a call to action. Among the messages emphasized were the need for zero tolerance toward antisemitism, the use of legal tools to combat hate speech, the strengthening of Jewish cultural production beyond community spaces, and greater mobilization of the community and youth movements.\n<\/p>\n
One of the evening\u2019s strongest points was the importance of non-Jewish allies in this struggle. The participation of women who chose to lend their voices, images, and public presence to the fight against antisemitism reinforced a message that resonated throughout the event: \u201cIt starts with the Jews, but it doesn\u2019t end with the Jews.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
At the close of the gathering, Ana Beatriz Prudente Alckmin, Cris Monteiro, Fernanda Scarambone, Juliana Leite, and Ale Chianelli were given a standing ovation by the audience that filled Espa\u00e7o Mitzpe\u2014a demonstration of recognition for women who, Jewish or not, chose not to remain silent in the face of antisemitism and the attacks against Israel.\n<\/p>\n
Source: Liane G. Zaidler\n<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\tSilas Anast\u00e1cio is a leading figure in fostering relations between Brazil and Israel. An author, articulist, lecturer, and institutional strategist, he works to strengthen dialogue among leaders, defend religious freedom, and combat antisemitism. His initiatives bridge the cultural, diplomatic, and social spheres, reinforcing cooperation between communities and institutions.\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A panel moderated by journalist Benjamin Back brought together Ana Beatriz Prudente Alckmin, Cris Monteiro, Fernanda Scarambone, Juliana…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":248167,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[33],"tags":[1414,10725,16929,2492,4059,1760,948,37,6825],"class_list":["post-248166","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-israel","tag-activism","tag-anti-zionism","tag-antisemitic-violence","tag-antisemitism","tag-brazil","tag-community","tag-education","tag-israel","tag-jewish-education"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@iran\/117090523888306784","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/248166","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=248166"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/248166\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/248167"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=248166"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=248166"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=248166"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}