The ADIR Foundation Together with the USC Shoah Foundation, Held a One-Day Event - Digital Frontlines: The Challenges and Solutions to Fighting Online Antisemitism

The event centered on the resurgence of antisemitism, particularly its spread through online platforms and social media, and the urgent need for deeper collaborative conversations. It emphasized moving beyond fear of technology to understanding its dual role—both as a tool for spreading hate and as a powerful resource to combat antisemitism through education and engagement.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 24, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- In a significant collaboration highlighting the power of partnership and innovation, the ADIR Foundation—established in the wake of the October 7, 2023 tragedy in Israel— together with the USC Shoah Foundation held the one day event on January 15th to further their shared goal of leveraging technology-driven innovation to combat antisemitism and hate.

The ADIR Foundation is committed to sourcing, incubating, and developing technological solutions and innovative approaches to combat antisemitism globally. In its collaboration with the USC Shoah Foundation, the ADIR Foundation aims to bring multidisciplinary thinking and diverse perspectives into shared physical and virtual spaces. Together, these organizations are driving forward a lifetime effort to create actionable, scalable solutions that address some of the most pressing issues of our time.

Key points from the event include:

1. Broad Access, Narrow Understanding: The accessibility of technologies like AI, social media bots, and large language models (LLMs), combined with limited understanding of their mechanics, leads to fear-driven reactions and defensive postures rather than proactive solutions.
2. Decoding Hate with Data: The volume of digital communication enables a clearer understanding of the symbols, language, and nuances of antisemitism, creating new opportunities for tracking and combating it.
3. Startup DNA as a Model: Agility, experimentation, and speed are essential to developing innovative solutions. Startups provide a framework for iterating quickly, focusing on what works, and scaling effectively.
4. Policy and Accountability: Legislative measures, such as removing special immunity for platforms amplifying hate and imposing transparency requirements for algorithms and content moderation, are critical steps forward.
5. Building a Collaborative Culture: Initiatives like the ADIR Challenge and USC Shoah partnership facilitate dialogue and teamwork, enabling researchers and technologists to co-create impactful solutions.

"The broad accessibility of technology, combined with a lack of understanding of its basics can push many to obsess over worst case scenarios that ultimately inhibits understanding, cooperation, and the utilization of tech in ways that can ameliorate antisemitism and hate," said Robert Williams, PhD, Finci-Viterbi Executive Director of the USC Shoah Foundation, UNESCO Chair on Antisemitism and Holocaust Research and Advisor, International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance. "Efforts like those of the ADIR Challenge Foundation are an essential step for a path toward harnessing technology to achieve good and to ensure that the digital future does not carry with it the hatred of old."

"Antisemitism isn't merely a Jewish issue; it's a national security threat rooted in anti-Western, anti-civilization ideologies", said Morielle Lotan, CEO, The ADIR Challenge Foundation. "Today, anti-semitsm looks very different from the past. It hides in algorithms, spreads through social media, and thrives in online games, where hate can go viral before we even have a chance to react. The tools of hate are now faster, more sophisticated, and harder to track, demanding a collective effort to confront this evolving and dangerous challenge."

Featured panelists include notable technology, policy, research, and education experts.

Speakers included:

Dr. Robert J. Williams, Finci-Viterbi Executive Director of the USC Shoah Foundation, UNESCO Chair on Antisemitism and Holocaust Research and Advisor, International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance

Morielle Lotan, partner of Mile Advisory and CEO of the ADIR Challenge

Aaron Keyak - U.S Dept of State, Office for the special envoy to combat anti-semitism

Raquel Saxe- Chief of Staff, Google Jigsaw

Holly Huffnagle, U.S. Director, Combating Antisemitism of American Jewish Committee (AJC)

This partnership exemplifies how a startup-style foundation like ADIR can seamlessly work with a legacy organization such as the USC Shoah Foundation. The Shoah Foundation, long revered for its groundbreaking work in preserving Holocaust testimonies and combating hatred, continues to demonstrate its adaptability and forward-thinking leadership by identifying partners like ADIR. This collaboration highlights the power of combining the Shoah Foundation's rich legacy with ADIR's innovative agility.

As the ADIR Foundation looks into 2025, this partnership signifies a commitment to forging alliances that bring innovative solutions to entrenched challenges. By integrating cutting-edge technology and convening diverse voices, ADIR is dedicated to leading a lifetime effort against hate and antisemitism. Together with the USC Shoah Foundation, the ADIR Foundation is building bridges across disciplines, communities, and generations to create a future rooted in resilience and understanding.

About the ADIR Challenge Foundation
Founded in the aftermath of October 7, 2023, the ADIR Foundation has quickly become a leader in sourcing, incubating, and developing innovative solutions to combat antisemitism and hate. By leveraging technology, multidisciplinary approaches, and strategic partnerships, ADIR drives actionable change in addressing these complex challenges. In its first year alone, ADIR launched a groundbreaking open innovation challenge, engaging 400 innovators from 25 countries and generating 120 innovative ideas. It provided an incubator community offering hundreds of mentorship hours, conducted gap analysis research to identify where technology can make a significant impact, and continues to incubate projects and teams forward.

SOURCE The ADIR Challenge Foundation