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       Friendsof Simon Wiesenthal Centre Calls for Action against Rising Anti-Semitism inOntario Following Bomb                                                              Threats at Jewish Day School and Community Centres

TORONTO (March 7, 2016) – Earlier today, a Toronto Jewish dayschool and a London Jewish Community Center were the targets of  bomb threats. These are the latest in asteadily rising wave of anti-Semitic incidents in Toronto over the last fewmonths, and follow just weeks after Jewish homes in an apartment unit in NorthYork were vandalized with swastikas, and a Calgary Jewish Community Centre wasalso targeted by a bomb threat.

They also follow a flood of similar actsacross the United States, where numerous Jewish community centers have beenvictim to bomb threats and several Jewish cemeteries have been desecrated.

“We can no longer sit back and accept this dangerous andtroubling pattern of hatred. It is not acceptable against Jewish institutionsand the Jewish community just as it is not acceptable against any otherreligious groups. We must denounce these acts and take a stand for justice,”says Avi Benlolo, FSWC President and CEO.

Benlolo is available to speak to media about today’sincident and what we can do as a society to help bring about greater awarenessaround anti-Semitism and how we can promote equality and tolerance. 

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Toarrange an interview with Mr. Benlolo, please contact:

Patrick Erlich
416-318-3821
patrick.erlich@mediaprofile.com  

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Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center (FSWC) is a leading Canadian non-profithuman rights foundation directly representing over 30,000 members. FSWC iscommitted to countering racism and antisemitism and to promoting theprinciples of tolerance, social justice and Canadian democratic values throughadvocacy and educational programs including workshops, Freedom Day, theSpirit of Hope Benefit, Tools for Tolerance and the widely acclaimed new Tour for Humanity. FSWC is affiliated with the Simon Wiesenthal Center, aninternational Jewish human rights organization headquartered in LosAngeles, which has won two Academy Awards, has built two Museumsof Tolerance (with a third being built in Jerusalem) and is an NGO at theUnited Nations, UNESCO, OAS, OSCE, the Council of Europe and the LatinAmerican Parliament. Visit us at www.fswc.ca

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