EPNA Workshop in Barcelona | “Intersections of Antisemitism and Racism: Similarities, Differences and Civil Society Responses”

Report on the EPNA Workshop “Intersections of Antisemitism and Racism: Similarities, Differences and Civil Society Responses”
10–12 February 2026, Barcelona (Catalonia, Spain)

The spring workshop of the European Practitioners Network against Antisemitism (EPNA) marked a significant step in the strategic development of the network. For the first time, EPNA opened its platform beyond Europe to include member organisations from the USA, Israel and the WANA region, thereby initiating a phase of sustained internationalisation.

The workshop pursued two overarching objectives:
first, to structurally anchor EPNA’s international opening as a permanent feature of the network; and second, to further develop shared political and civil society strategies for combating antisemitism across different political and societal contexts. In doing so, the workshop aimed to strengthen transregional cooperation among practitioners and to explore how civil society responses to antisemitism can be adapted to varying political frameworks and spaces for action.

The event was realised with funding from the German Federal Foreign Office and in close cooperation with EPNA’s member organisation Mozaika, a Barcelona-based Jewish platform and cultural hub.

EPNA and the Path towards Internationalisation

Over the past three years, EPNA has developed into a central civil society hub in Europe, bringing together 100 member organisations from across the continent. The network functions as a platform for knowledge exchange, best practices, educational tools and collaboration among practitioners working against antisemitism.

Until recently, this growth had taken place exclusively within Europe. Following the completion of EPNA’s “Associated Members” Programme in December 2025, a pilot phase designed to assess the potential of expanding the network beyond Europe, the Barcelona workshop marked the first in-person meeting with international members from the USA, Israel, Morocco and Tunisia. This moment represented the transition from a pilot phase to a permanent structural opening of the network.

Barcelona, with its long and complex history of cultural diversity and interconnected social struggles, provided an appropriate setting for this step and for reflecting on similarities and differences in civil society responses to antisemitism across regions.

Workshop Format and Core Activities

The workshop brought together more than 40 practitioners from different regions to reflect on both progress and setbacks in global efforts against antisemitism, to exchange perspectives shaped by distinct political environments, and to develop future-oriented cooperation within EPNA’s “European Alliance Programme”.

Participants attended expert lectures, engaged in structured working group sessions and took part in targeted networking formats. A dedicated networking session enabled participants to initiate new partnerships within the framework of the European Alliance Programme, laying the groundwork for future collaborative projects.

A key focus throughout the workshop was the integration of new international members into the existing network. Discussions centred on shared values, differing political contexts and varying civil society spaces for action, with the aim of establishing a common foundation for sustainable cooperation. An expert input by Evan Kapros, an EPNA member and representative of the local partner organisation Mozaika, on antisemitism and racism in Spain provided important historical and contemporary insights into the Catalan and Spanish context.

Working Groups and Policy Brief Development

In four dedicated working group sessions, participants initiated the first phase of a three-step process to develop policy briefs intended as advocacy tools. During the Barcelona workshop, each working group focused on producing a structured problem assessment for its respective topic, based on intensive discussions, the exchange of regional perspectives and the cooperative collection of information.

The working group topics are:

1. Holocaust education and combating Holocaust denial
2. Antisemitism in schools and universities; antisemitism among teenagers and young adults
3. The intersectionality of antisemitism, racism, conspiracy ideologies and misogyny
4. Online antisemitism, fake news and online radicalisation

The results developed in Barcelona will serve as the working basis for subsequent workshops in Brussels (June) and London (October), where the policy briefs will be further developed and finalised. Once completed, the briefs are intended to support advocacy efforts across multiple levels and contexts and are scheduled for publication at the end of the year.

Public Panel and Outreach

The workshop included a public panel discussion, which constituted the only programme component open to a broader audience and thus played a strategically important role in EPNA’s outreach efforts. The event was attended by approximately 60 participants from civil society organisations, political institutions, the Jewish community and the research community.

The evening was opened with remarks by Vice Consul Patrick Heinz from the German Consulate General in Barcelona and a scientific framing provided by researcher Marta Simó. Three panellists – Veronica Sartore (Yad be Yad, Germany), Enerida Isuf (Consell Municipal del Poble Gitano, Catalonia, Spain) and Dr Eva Fortes (Antiracism Advisory Council, Catalonia, Spain) – discussed the intersections of antisemitism and racism and shared perspectives shaped by their respective professional and political contexts. The discussion was moderated by Victor Sorenssen (AEPJ – European Association for the Preservation and Promotion of Jewish Culture and Heritage).

Outlook and Strategic Significance

The EPNA workshop “Intersections of Antisemitism and Racism: Similarities, Differences and Civil Society Responses” highlighted the strategic potential of internationalising civil society cooperation against antisemitism. While the process of international integration has only just begun, the workshop demonstrated the added value of transregional exchange and laid the foundation for long-term collaboration beyond Europe.

EPNA will remain at the core of these efforts. Together with its increasingly diverse membership and with the support of the German Federal Foreign Office, the network will continue to strengthen civil society responses to antisemitism and contribute to shaping both European and global strategies in this field.

For further information, please contact:

Florian Eisheuer | EPNA Programme Lead
Email: practitionersnetwork@dialogueperspectives.org