TORONTO(December 7, 2017) - In light of the pending release of a database ofcompanies operating in Israel by the United Nations Human Rights Council(UNHRC), Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center for Holocaust Studies (FSWC)is launching a community-wide petition to call upon the United Nations and itsmember states, including Canada, to end the blacklisting campaign.

"This blacklist campaign by the UNHRC isreminiscent of the Arab League boycott of Israel first introduced in 1945 toweaken the Jewish economy and deter growth. It will feed into the illegitimateBDS movement and is clearly fueled by antisemitism and not any desire for peace," said Avi Benlolo, President andCEO of FSWC. "This is yet one more illustration of how the importantagenda of the UN and its bodies is co-opted in the unrelenting attacks againstthe democratic state of Israel.”

By launching this petition, FSWC anticipates that community awarenessand pressure will ensure that Canada and other member states of the UN opposethis illegitimate campaign against Israel. Please sign the petition at www.friendsofsimonwiesenthalcenter.com/petition.

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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 for latest news and organization updates.

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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. 

 Canadian Headquarters: Toronto       Branches: Los Angeles • New York • Chicago • Paris • Buenos Aires • Israel