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	February 07, 2020

WJC President Ronald S. Lauder: Countries around the world must unite in battle against antisemitism

The following statement was presented to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) on January 8, 2020 during a hearing about how U.S. foreign policy and the international community can counter the growing threat of antisemitism around the world.

World Jewish Congress saddened by death of legendary actor Kirk Douglas, recipient of inaugural WJC Teddy Kollek Award

“I am profoundly saddened to hear of the passing of one of my personal heroes, Kirk Douglas, who in both his private and professional life elegantly embodied the American Dream of all Jewish immigrants fleeing the Czars and other forms of oppression in the early 20th century,” WJC President Ronald S. Lauder said.

Théo Klein, former Crif president and founder of European Jewish Congress, passes away at age 99

Klein served as chairman of WJC’s affiliated Representative Council of French Jewish Institutions (Crif) from 1983 to 1989, during which he pioneered the organization’s annual dinner, bringing together government officials from across the political spectrum, including high profile politicians such as the prime minister and president of the country. This dinner has become one of the most highly regarded political events in France, for both the Jewish community and the nation at large.

Those children who died could have been ours | Op-ed by WJC Vice President Mary Kluk

WJC Vice President Mary Kluk, who is also the president of the South African Board of Jewish Deputies and the Chair of the Africa and Australia Jewish Congress, wrote, “The responsibility to uphold the memory and enduring lessons of the Shoah rests with the generations to come. No matter how many times I have visited various concentration camps, I’m somehow changed by the time I leave.”

WJC concerned by recent attacks in Israel

On Thursday morning, 12 soldiers were wounded, one critically, in a suspected car-ramming on Jerusalem’s David Remez Street near the First Station entertainment complex, the first of three reported incidents over the course of the day. The driver was apprehended later Thursday evening, following an extensive IDF operational and intelligence effort.

Clarification regarding the videos presented during the Fifth World Holocaust Forum | Statement by Yad Vashem

In a statement, Professor Dan Michman of Yad Vashem said, “We apologize for the unfortunate errors in these short films, which do not represent Yad Vashem’s approach to the historical issues portrayed. As Israel’s and the Jewish People’s national memorial and research institution on the Holocaust, we reiterate our ongoing commitment to historical truth, and to research that stands opposed to efforts at obfuscation and distortion by the political discourse in various countries.”

Reports indicate alarming rise in antisemitic activity in France and Britain

Of the 1,142 hate crimes recorded in France last year, a staggering 687 (60.2%) were against Jewish individuals, a near 27% increase from 2018, the Interior Ministry reported; in the UK., a report published by the British Community Security Trust (CST) found that antisemitic incidents reached an all-time high. According to those figures, antisemitic incidents rose 7% from the 1,690 reported incidents in 2018, with violent crimes increasing by 25% and antisemitic incidents online increased by 82%.

To learn more about the British Community Security Trust’s report on antisemitism, click here.

To learn more about the French Interior Ministry’s report on antisemitism, click here.

Scottish ministers announce plans for £500k in security funding for places of worship

Communities Secretary Aileen Campbell reiterated the government’s commitment to ensuring that all religious communities are free to practice their religion safely, saying, “No-one should fear being attacked because of their faith and particularly in their place of worship.”

Cartoonist Carol Isaacs publishes graphic novel remembering Baghdadi Jews

What makes Isaacs’ graphic novel so unique, according to the review in the London-based Jewish Chronicle, isn’t just the history it records, but the fact that many of the cities and sites portrayed in the graphic novel no longer exist. With little to no other option, Isaacs brought her illustrations of the city to live by speaking extensively to relatives, relying on testimonies and a book describing the structure of Jewish houses in Baghdad.

WATCH | WJC President Ronald S. Lauder visits the Auschwitz memorial site, together with survivors

Auschwitz will remain forever a brutal reminder of the horrors unleashed through antisemitism. World Jewish Congress President Ronald S. Lauder returned with Holocaust survivors to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the camp’s liberation early last week.

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WATCH | The urgent need for Holocaust education

Half of American adults are unaware of basic facts about the Holocaust, including the number of Jews killed and how Adolf Hitler and the Nazis came to power, according to a recently released Pew Research Center study. Education is critical in the fight against ignorance and misinformation – and specifically Holocaust denial and distortion.

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WATCH | Time Off: Jews of Hungary

Hungary is home to the largest Jewish community in Eastern and Central Europe, and Jewish life in its capital of Budapest is flourishing.

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