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	February 28, 2020

WJC recognizes importance of Vatican’s opening of World War II archives

In a statement, WJC President Ronald S. Lauder said: “Due to sustained efforts between the global Jewish community and the Catholic Church in the decades since the war, the Vatican has become a friend and ally to the Jewish people. The opening of the archives represents a pivotal moment in the history of Catholic-Jewish relations and our ongoing interfaith dialogue.”

WJC President Lauder thanks Bulgarian authorities for quelling neo-Nazi Lukov March

“For the first time in more than a decade, the Jewish community of Bulgaria has been spared its yearly day of fear and apprehension from shameful flame-wielding thugs who parade through the streets to glorify the very ideology that brought the near destruction of the Jewish people. At this frightening time of rising antisemitic activity across the world, this is a moment of true victory for the Jewish community, the people of Bulgaria, and all promoters of justice and tolerance worldwide,” said WJC President Ronald S. Lauder.

WJC infuriated by sale of Nazi-era venom on Amazon

“While we appreciate the efforts that Amazon has made in the past to remove such offensive content, it is inconceivable that we should have to revisit this issue time and again, in order to ensure the safety and security of our communities from those who might well be inspired through these purchases to attack Jews and other minorities in the spirit of Nazi virulence,” said WJC President Ronald S. Lauder.

WJC and Belgian Jewish community welcome mobilization against antisemitic Aalst Festival

The Aalst Festival embraces antisemitic propaganda and caricature, dehumanizing Jews into images of cockroaches and spreading conspiracy theories to manipulate public opinion and incite hatred. This year, in the wake of UNESCO’s withdrawal of support, the festival’s organizers were free to go even farther to heighten their disgusting imagery of stereotypes, showing their true colors to any who had doubt.

Polish diplomats in Bern tried to save 10,000 Jews during Holocaust, new research reveals

Warsaw-based Pilecki Institute released previously unknown details about the Ładoś List and the efforts to provide Jews with Latin American passports; English edition of research was presented on 27 February in New York, under the patronage of the World Jewish Congress.

UMass student wins WJC’s 2020 Campus Pitch Competition, with idea to bring Israel to schools in living color

Stephanie Margolis' project, The Israel Connection, invites fellow students to submit thought-provoking images of a place or experience that they had in Israel. The image, along with a paragraph explaining its context and importance, will then be placed on a six-foot black and white felt cube, highlighting the range of experiences and opportunities in Israel, and underscording that this is not a black and white issue.

WJC affiliate in France, Crif, launches Online Hate Speech Observatory

In its initial research, the Observatory used an algorithm to identify 51,816 antisemitic incidents, which were thereafter individually verified as antisemitic and classified according to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism. It is likely that the rate of antisemitic incidents online were higher than the report found since only incidents involving public accounts were included in the Observatory.

Chancellor Angela Merkel’s cabinet approves bill fighting antisemitism and hate speech online in Germany

The legislation would allow the German government to collect IP addresses from users whose posts violate the law and obtain users passwords in cases of terrorism and murder. Minister of Justice Christine Lambrecht explained that the legislation is designed to “dry up the breeding ground where this extremism flourishes.”

CIJA applauds unanimous support for bill to combat antisemitism

In response, to the bill's passage, Noah Shack, Vice President of the WJC-affiliated the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) said in a statement that, “the Ontario Legislature has unanimously sent a clear message to hatemongers in our province: antisemitism has no home here."

Dutch Railways apoligizes after antisemitic songs performed by employee

The song pokes fun at the highly Jewish fanbase for the soccer team Ajax and its support of Israel. According to reports, the employee sang, “Where do the Jews come from? From Israel, far away. Do super Jews live there, too? Yeah, super Jews live there, too. Do Jews like soccer? Only when they’re rooting for Ajax.”

Pig-burning facility to be built near Holocaust memorial and mass grave of victims in Ukraine

Local Rabbi Pinchas Vishetsky told Ynet that community members were concerned that the facility would be built on top of the mass grave as the exact location of the mass grave is unknown. Rabbi Vishetsky said it was "disrespectful to build that kind of a facility 60 meters from a memorial," and said that he has asked the governor to move the facility further away from the memorial, but it was unclear what would end up happening.

Distorting the truth about the Holocaust on the big screen

Distortion and denial of the Holocaust is a dangerous trend and is being used as a tool to advance political agendas. And it’s in places we don’t always expect it. Even a documentary film being shown at the New York Sephardic Jewish Film Festival this week by director Jakov Sedlar is full of Holocaust distortion.

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Israel is joining the fight against the coronavirus

With the coronavirus gripping the world, three Israeli scientists are joining the fight against the deadly virus.

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