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Dear Christine,
Dr. Shimon Samuels (Paris), Sergio Widder (Buenos Aires)
and I (Los Angeles) have just arrived in Geneva where the U.N. World Conference
Against Racism, Durban II opens Tuesday, Holocaust Remembrance Day. Now that
Iran has confirmed the attendance of its President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the
Center is urging Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel and other European leaders
to boycott Durban II.
Back in 2001, the Simon Wiesenthal Center was
there on the ground to report from South Africa as
2001 Durban I degenirated
into an ugly anti-Israel and anti-Semitic hatefest.
Here in Geneva,
we'll monitor conference sessions and lobby directly with diplomats as the
expected push to single out Israel as the world's sole and worst human rights
abuser unfolds. We are also bringing experts on human rights in Iran, the
special prosecutor for the AMIA bombing from Argentina and a specialist from
Africa to ensure that the media and nations reluctant to take on the serial
human rights abusers from Iran, Libya, and Cuba cannot do their dirty work
behind closed doors.
Center leaders have been at almost every Durban II
preparatory meeting where the lead-up to the conference has been so blatantly
biased against Israel and so clearly determined to avoid any substantive
discussion of global human rights that Canada, Israel and the U.S. have pledged
not to attend.
In addition, we will be co-sponsoring a major counter
programming seminar with several top human rights NGOs to address the continuing
threat of global terrorism and rampant human rights violations in the Middle
East and Africa.
By being on the ground in Geneva, we are living up to
our responsibility to never again be silent in the face of threats to our
people's safety, rights and dignity. Please
help us make a difference here and around the world with a special commitment
this Yom Hashoah and check with www.wiesenthal.com for updates from Durban
II.
We're counting on you!
Sincerely,
Rabbi Abraham
Cooper
Associate Dean
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