Students from Israeli and US universities to work together to combat antisemitism

The ADIR Challenge Foundation has announced a new collaboration with HIT - Holon Institute of Technology. As part of this collaboration, students from the institute and from leading US universities will participate in a joint workshop to develop innovative and technological projects to combat antisemitism and hate.

The foundation is dedicated to the memory of Addir Mesika, who was murdered at the Nova Music Festival on October 7, as he bravely fought the terrorists, while saving the lives of his girlfriend and two other young women. The foundation focuses on sourcing, incubating, and developing solutions that innovate the fight against antisemitism. 

The workshop, designed for students in the entrepreneurship and engineering, technology, and innovation fields, is part of the ADIR Challenge Foundation’s international effort to create partnerships and develop a proactive, innovative, and tech-centric strategy against modern antisemitism that spreads through social media and spills onto campuses and streets in the US and worldwide. The foundation’s primary goal is to encourage innovation and technological solutions that can serve as significant tools in the global fight against the spread of antisemitism, hatred, and extremism while creating a safer environment in both physical and digital spaces.

The collaboration between HIT and the foundation enables HIT students to develop practical solutions and create international partnerships with peers from leading US universities. As part of the project, students will be divided into small task force groups and jointly develop ideas that will compete in a Hanukkah competition to select the best initiative. Industry-leading experts from the technology and entrepreneurship sectors, as well as experts in extremism and online antisemitism and hate, will judge the event, and the winning teams will join a delegation visiting the US to further deepen cooperation with American campus students.

Morielle Lotan, co-founder and CEO of the ADIR Challenge Foundation, commented on the collaboration: “The waves of hatred flooding social networks over the past year and antisemitic incidents on US campuses and worldwide are the results of a well-oiled and well-funded machine exploiting the vast numerical advantage of our enemies to distort the narrative around the October 7 massacre and Israel’s war against terrorism. Facing this deep and serious threat, Israel, the Jewish world, and all those committed to democratic and liberal values must take a strong stance. One of the battlefields is social media and the digital world, so technological solutions are essential for this struggle’s success. One of the startup nation’s advantages is technological prowess, innovative spirit, and its human capital, and cross-border collaboration is vital to our success.”

Tali Malach, Head of the FUTURE Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center at HIT - Holon Institute of Technology, says: “As an academic institution that aspires to produce initiatives that will improve the world for all humanity, we are proud to lead a project that will leverage our students’ energy and talent to fight the important battle against antisemitism and the spread of hatred online and in general. The events of October 7 and the subsequent war did not pass us by, and we, too, lost students and alumni who were murdered, injured, or killed in battle. We see this activity as a special mission in their memory as well.”

Student delegations to the US will be jointly funded by The ADIR Challenge Foundation and HIT-Holon Institute of Technology.