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	March 27, 2020

World Jewish Congress urges solidarity in face of COVID-19 crisis, offers support to WJC-affiliated Jewish communities

“We are one people. What makes the Jewish people strong, what has always sustained us, is our faith in God and our trust in each other. This situation, I believe, has unintentionally made that abundantly clear."

German antisemitism envoy Felix Klein warns against spread of antisemitic coronavirus conspiracy theories

In an interview with the German-based newspaper Tagesspiegel, Commissioner for Jewish Life in Germany Dr. Felix Klein stressed that such conspiracies could involve the “Jewish takeover of the world economy, Jewish profits from a possible vaccine, biological weapons developed by Israel, [and] a Jewish attempt to reduce the world population.”

IHRA calls for preservation of Holocaust memory against backdrop of coronavirus pandemic

IHRA Chair Michaela Küchler expresses IHRA’s deep gratitude to the organizations “caring for and taking steps to protect survivors of the Holocaust. As with all elderly people around the world, it is important that we do everything within our means to protect Holocaust survivors who may find themselves particularly vulnerable to the serious health complications of COVID-19.”

WJC President Lauder: National Guard must protect Jews from neo-Nazi coronavirus threat | Jerusalem Post

Following FBI reports that neo-Nazis and white nationalists are roaming the streets of New York and surrounding communities looking to infect Jews and policemen with the potentially lethal coronavirus by spitting on their faces, WJC President Lauder declared: "When the National Guard is activated in New York to address the pandemic, some servicemembers should be placed in Jewish neighborhoods to prevent the purposeful infection of Jewish New Yorkers. Immediate action is needed to protect the vulnerable from antisemitic violence.”

‘Keep your distance. Be strong’ | ECAJ President & WJC VP Jillian Segal, Australia

“The Jewish community is uniquely close-knit and interconnected. We are also, on average, an older community. This make us particularly vulnerable in such times. But we are also a caring and compassionate community, resilient, responsible and well-prepared. We have experienced everything and survived, and we’ll survive this too.”

UK amends emergency coronavirus bill to safeguard religious burial practices for Jews and Muslims

The provision to remove forced cremation was welcomed by Marie van der Zyl, President of the Board of Deputies of British Jews and WJC Vice President, who said that the BoD "would like to extend our deep and sincere thanks to the Government for working with us to amend this legislation, to protect the final wishes and religious freedoms of the deceased. There could be few things more sacred.”

Israeli scientist's shrimp antiviral could be adapted for coronavirus | The Jerusalem Post

The project is one of the several emergency projects that are the focus of around-the-clock work by 20 different labs at the Technion Institute of Technology to work on coronavirus vaccines, therapeutic treatments, diagnostic methods and patient treatment methods.

WATCH | Holocaust survivor Ralph Hakman: The last testimony

This past January, a delegation of the World Jewish Congress, headed by WJC President Ronald S. Lauder, participated in the commemorative events marking the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, together with survivors of the Nazi death camp brought by the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial Foundation. The following is a testimony shared by Holocaust survivor Rachmil (Ralph) Hakman, who passed away on 22 March 2020.

The last journey of Anneliese Nossbaum's life | Philadelphia Inquirer

Anneliese Nossbaum died early Monday morning at the Abramson Center in North Wales, having fallen ill within weeks of returning from the trip of a lifetime, her final reckoning with Auschwitz. She was 91.

Covid-19: Christians, Jews and Muslims join in prayer in Jerusalem | Vatican News

Speaking to Vatican Radio before the common prayer, the Franciscan Custodian of the Holy Land, Father Francesco Patton, highlighted the significance of the gathering and invited every religion to recite a prayer according to its own tradition.

WATCH | Chicago distillery to provide hand santizer amid coronavirus crisis

KOVAL Distillery co-founder and President Sonat Birnecker Hart, who is also the president of the WJC-Jewish Diplomatic Corps, told the Chicago Tribune recently: “For us this is a kind of war effort. We’re luckily in a position to have a distillery that can manufacture something really needed for those fighting on the front line.”

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At 43rd session, WJC urges UNHRC to condemn Iran's human rights abuses

On UNHRC floor, WJC representative maintains that that WJC "remains appalled by Iran’s contemporary mistreatment of minority citizens of diverse ethnic, religious, linguistic, sexual, and gender-based backgrounds."

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At UNHRC 43, WJC calls on Iraq to safeguard freedom of religion and belief

On UNHRC floor, WJC representative also urges Iraqi authorities to "preserve Jewish heritage sites in the country, such as places of worship and pilgrimage, and to recognize them as integral parts of their nation’s culture. We also urge the government to acknowledge its responsibility toward these forgotten [Jewish] refugees."

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New NOA project brings WJC and other major Jewish organizations together to tackle antisemitism in positive motion

The project will evaluate EU Member States’ policies across various arenas, including education, culture, and security, and help them to develop holistic national action plans to address and prevent antisemitism.

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