Ben-Gurion University of the Negev to honor Katharina von Schnurbein
Katharina von Schnurbein, European Commission Coordinator on combating antisemitism and fostering Jewish life, will be awarded an honorary doctorate at the upcoming Board of Governors Meeting to be held in May.
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev is pleased to announce the first European Commission Coordinator on combating antisemitism and fostering Jewish life, Katharina von Schnurbein, will be awarded an honorary doctorate at the upcoming Board of Governors Meeting to be held in May.
Katharina von Schnurbein was appointed the first European Commission Coordinator on combating antisemitism in December 2015. Together with her team, she has drafted and is now implementing the EU Strategy on combating antisemitism and fostering Jewish life, adopted in 2021. The EU Strategy lead the way for the 27 EU Member States to adopt their own national strategies addressing antisemitism and promoting Jewish life within their societies. The Coordinator collaborates closely with Jewish communities and organizations. Twice a year, she gathers special envoys and coordinators from all EU Member States and representatives of national Jewish organizations and co-chairs the global network of special envoys.
"In a world characterized by ever increasing hatred of Jews to levels unknown since World War II, the clear and moral voice of Katharina von Schnurbein stands out as a lighthouse of sanity and moral clarity. Her unreserved support for Europe's Jewish community reminds us that even in these dark times, we have righteous individuals who call out antisemitism," says Ben-Gurion University of the Negev President Prof. Daniel Chamovitz.
“It is a tremendous honor to receive this honorary doctorate from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. And it humbles me because as an EU official and a citizen, I am simply doing my job. Amidst the current tsunami of antisemitism, I am determined to use all tools at hand at the European Commission to work towards a society free from antisemitism and all forms of hatred, and speak up against injustice and discrimination, so that Jewish life in Europe can flourish. Close cooperation with leading universities such as BGU is an invaluable asset in this striving,” says Katharina von Schnurbein.
The Coordinator acts as a contact point for Jewish communities and relevant organizations while contributing to the development of the European Commission's overarching strategy to prevent and combat racism, intolerance, and discrimination. She liaises with the Member States, the European Parliament, other institutions, relevant civil society organizations and academia with a view to strengthening policy responses designed to address antisemitism.
Prior to her current position, she served as advisor to the European Commission President José Manuel Barroso for five years, responsible for the dialogue with churches, religions and non-confessional organizations and prior as spokesperson of the European Commission on employment, social affairs and equal opportunities. She started working for the European Commission in 2002 as press and communications officer at the EU Delegation to the Czech Republic, after having served on the team of the Chair of European Affairs Committee in the German Bundestag.
Her educational background includes undergraduate studies in Political Science and Slavonic Studies at Charles University in Prague and the University of Bonn, a Masters of Slavonic Studies from Oxford University (1997) and a Masters of European Studies from the Center for European Integration Studies in Bonn (1999). She spent the academic year 2017/18 as an EU-Fellow at the European University Institute in Florence researching measures to combat antisemitism across Europe.
She is married and has four children.
