Stuttgart

A school project in Baden-Württemberg is making waves: Scora. It is against anti-Semitism and racism and focuses on understanding and personal contacts between students from Germany, Israel, India and the USA.

The praise from Talya Lador-Fresher, the Israeli Consul General in southern Germany, was effusive. There are “wonderful projects” against hatred and exclusion, the diplomat said in a recent interview with our newspaper and referred to the “Scora” project. But what is “Scora”? The five letters stand for “Schools opposing racism and anti-Semitism”. In German: schools that oppose racism and anti-Semitism. The project was launched in 2019.

The starting point was a joint German-Israeli conference in Ludwigsburg, at which Giora Salz, a district administrator from Upper Galilee, asked the school president of the Stuttgart administrative district, Claudia Rugart: “Let’s make more of it!” And she made more of it – with the support of the Ministry of Education, the Israelite Religious Community of Württemberg and civil society actors: namely an ambitious program that opposes hatred and aims to contribute to understanding. It is based in the Association for Sustainable Education and School Development.

One program, three projects

Under the heading “Scora – yes we care!” the program combines three different projects: one for school partnerships (Scora twin), a school network against anti-Semitism (Scora net) and youth meeting weeks (Scora meet), such as those that recently took place in Stuttgart with the participation of German, Israeli, Indian and American students. The whole thing is under the patronage of State Parliament President Muhterem Aras, who emphasizes: “Our community thrives on diversity. Discrimination must have no place in it.”

The three projects in brief: Scora twin brings schools from Israel and Baden-Württemberg into contact with each other. 20 school partnerships have been established so far – including between vocational schools. “We want to work actively in our schools to ensure that anti-Semitism and racism have no place,” says Scora director Rugart. She pursues a multi-dimensional approach. It is about remembering and knowing about each other in the present. “Remembering the victims of the Shoah is part of our project work. It is equally important to us to get to know modern Jewish life in Baden-Württemberg and in Israel.” In addition, teachers are empowered to deal with anti-Semitism and racism and to establish a “diversity-friendly school culture.”

In the broadest sense, Scora net is an event format that has already reached more than 100 schools in Baden-Württemberg. It offers interviews with contemporary witnesses, film screenings, discussion groups, readings, educational days and a virtual format for teachers on the topic of October 7, 2023 and its consequences. The Muslim-Jewish relationship is also addressed, with young tandems telling students about themselves. The idea behind this is that direct personal contact is the best remedy against prejudice.

Finally, Scora meet is the format of an international youth meeting that took place for the first time in Heilbronn in 2023 and now in Stuttgart – on a smaller scale than originally planned for safety reasons.

Hope for continued support from the state

The program is now established. From Claudia Rugart’s point of view, Scora has “developed very dynamically and has great potential in the fight against anti-Semitism.” The popularity of Scora and inquiries from schools are increasing, and new projects are being prepared. Rugart was pleased not only to receive praise from the Israeli Consul General, but also to see that Baden-Württemberg’s anti-Semitism commissioner Michael Blume praised Scora as an “exemplary educational and meeting organization.” She sees the fact that the state parliament has again allocated around 65,000 euros per year in this double budget as an appreciation of Scora’s work. She hopes that the funding will be made permanent and increased in the budget in order to be able to finance staff: “Scora is run by volunteers. However, we would need at least two part-time employees for administration and public relations.”