With support from a U.S. Embassy grant, the Israeli embassy organized a 48-hour hackathon aimed at developing apps to counter anti-Semitism and other kinds of hate speech. Digital University and the Tikkunology Foundation implemented the project at the Polin Museum where 30 entrepreneurs, programmers and designers from Israel, Germany and Poland worked together in multi-national teams to create technological solutions to this pervasive problem. Assistant Cultural Affairs Officer Elizabeth Blumenthal was part of the jury that selected the winning team of Piotr Hryniewicz and Mariusz Rokicki (Poland), Josh Chaim (Israel) and Magdalena Jajte (Germany). Their app, Haet Map, uses machine learning to create an interactive map that shows, in real time, incidences of hate speech, the location of post and demographic information about the poster. Making this information available in an easy to access format will assist governments, NGOs, educators and law enforcement communities in their mission to address and eradicate hate. Many congratulations to the winning team and to all the other participants!
