The Oct. 7 workshop, titled “Extremism and Antisemitism,” was held at Reichman University in Herzliya as part of the four-day Shabtai Shavit World Summit on Counter-Terrorism, organized by the university’s International Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT).
The gathering coincided with the third anniversary of Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, massacre in southern Israel and brought together specialists from the intelligence, diplomatic, academic, and Jewish advocacy communities.
The workshop was organized in cooperation with Black Wall Global, an Israeli security and intelligence firm, and chaired by Yael Hay, acting director of RiseApp at Reichman University.
Among the participants was Arik Brabing, a former senior official in Israel’s Shin Bet domestic security agency who served for more than 28 years in intelligence operations, including leadership positions overseeing cyber operations and the Jerusalem and West Bank region.
Other speakers included Fleur Hassan-Nahoum, Israel’s special envoy for trade and innovation at the Foreign Ministry; Ariel Koch, a research fellow at ICT; Jonathan Davis, Reichman University’s vice president for external relations; and Sacha Roytman, CEO of the Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM).
The summit’s broader agenda focused on the evolving architecture of terrorism, including state sponsorship, proxy organizations, emerging technologies, and ideological radicalization.
According to a report published by CAM following the conference, Roytman warned that the global surge in antisemitism reflected what he described as an entrenched infrastructure of hatred, rather than merely isolated incidents.
Roytman traced elements of modern anti-Israel propaganda to Soviet campaigns following the 1967 Six-Day War, arguing that narratives portraying Zionism as racism and colonialism subsequently gained influence through international institutions, universities, and activist networks.
“We need to understand every layer,” Roytman said. “Who builds the narrative, who legitimizes it, who funds institutions, who educates the next generation, who organizes the networks and who amplifies the message.”
Black Wall Global, meanwhile, emphasized the importance of identifying extremist threats before they develop into violence.
In a statement announcing the workshop, the firm said its approach centered on intelligence-led prevention, early warning systems, technological capabilities, and international cooperation.
“We cannot wait for threats to reach the gate,” the company said, calling for improved intelligence gathering and earlier intervention to protect vulnerable communities.
The summit, held Oct. 5–8, drew security officials, policymakers, and researchers from around the world to examine the changing nature of terrorism and the threats facing Israel and democratic societies.
