TORONTO (March 6, 2018) – Today Friends ofSimon Wiesenthal Center (FSWC) President and CEO Avi Benlolo expressedgratitude in a letter to the ambassador of Guatemala in Canada – both forGuatemala’s recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and its recentdecision to move the country’s embassy to Jerusalem. 

“The United States’ decision tomove its embassy in Israel has opened up the gates for other countries tofinally take that step, and we can definitely expect more countries to followsuit,” said Benlolo. “It’s important to note that in 1956 Guatemala became thefirst country to open its embassy in Jerusalem before moving it to Tel Aviv dueto international pressures – so the country is simply moving the embassy backto its original location.”

Guatemala’sannouncement came on Sunday as thousands of pro-Israel activists gathered inWashington, D.C. for the annual AIPAC Policy Conference. Jimmy Morales,president of Guatemala, stated that his country will be moving its embassy inIsrael back to Jerusalem in May, becoming the second country to make thehistoric move.

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Media Contact:

Avital Borisovsky  
Communications Associate    
416.864.9735 x 29 
aborisovsky@fswc.ca

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Follow us on Twitter at @CanadianFSWC 

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Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center for Holocaust Studies (FSWC) is a top Jewish human rights foundation in Canada's organized Jewish community. It directly impacts over 100,000 people each year and 500,000+ peripherally. FSWC is committed to countering racism and antisemitism and to promoting the principles of tolerance, social justice and Canadian democratic values through advocacy and educational programs including workshops, Freedom Day, Spirit of Hope Benefit, Tools for Tolerance and the widely acclaimed Tour for Humanity. FSWC is affiliated with the Simon Wiesenthal Center, an international Jewish human rights organization headquartered in Los Angeles which has won two Academy Awards, has built two Museums of Tolerance (with a third being built in Jerusalem) and is an NGO at the United Nations, UNESCO, OAS, OSCE, the Council of Europe and the Latin American Parliament. Visit us at www.fswc.ca. 

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