Rout a Racist by Phone!

Here,  I repost a letter from Anat Hoffman, Executive Director of the Israel Religious Action Centre, discussing a video clip that contains fantastic ideas about how to document and therefore halt racist incidents on the spot.

It is a pity, however, that there appears to be no general web link available for the video clip that features Israeli actor and performance poet, Yossi Zabari and so the clip may be viewed now only on Facebook or IRAC’s own website. According to Hoffman, it has been viewed thousands of times on both the Hebrew language Walla News site and Arabic Bokra website.

The clip I’ve chosen featuring ‘DrDisrespect’ is solely for illustration.

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Last time I was in New York I met with a long-time supporter of IRAC about our new Racism Crisis Centre. I mentioned that most Israelis are against racism and do not want to be by-standers. He turned to me and asked: "Do they know how to properly record a hate crime when it happens? Are the complaints you receive well documented?" In his characteristic way, he jumped out of his seat and shared with us names of organisations and links to YouTube videos on how to document racism using modern technology.

Our conversation sparked this video: How to Document Racism. The presenter, Yossi Zabari, actor and spoken word poet whose poetry deals a lot with racism and treatment of others, teaches in three minutes how to use your phone, the most powerful tool for social change on the planet, to fight racism.

In just over a week since its release, the video has received over 30,000 views. It was featured on Walla News (a popular Hebrew news site) and Bokra (a popular Arab website) last week. Originally in Hebrew, it has versions with subtitles in Arabic, English, Amharic and Russian.

Our supporter's advice gave us a better tool to fight racism. Using his experience in America, he was able to give IRAC a head start.

One of the unique features are the real-life examples of racism taken by cell phone. We find that victims that come with a video documenting the attack feel empowered and hopeful. We also found that victims are more likley to get results from the police and the legal system when the incident is well documented.

I believe that when we have a substantial body of documentation of the everyday racism that occurs in Israel, we will be able to awaken the Israeli public from its apathy to this scourge. Through this video, we are empowering Israelis and providing them with the tools to make a difference.

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© Natalie Wood (20 February 2018)