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                                                                                             MEDIA STATEMENT
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Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center Recognizes Raoul Wallenberg Day

January17, 2017 – Toronto: In recognition of RaoulWallenberg Day, designated by Canada in 2001 to honour the efforts of a Swedishdiplomat who saved tens of thousands of Hungarian Jews during the Holocaust,Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center for Holocaust Studies (FSWC) President andCEO Avi Benlolo issued the following statement: 

“Today is a day we pay tribute to one of theRighteous Among the Nations. Raoul Wallenberg’s courage in saving thousands ofJewish men, women and children from the gas chambers of Europe by issuingspecial passports that prevented their deportation will stand as a symbol oftrue heroism and righteousness for all time. It is truly fitting that he wasnamed Canada’s first honorary citizen in 1985.”

“Although he tragicallydisappeared on January 17, 1945 after being captured by Soviet forces towardthe end of WWII, it is important that we continue to honour his memory andpraise his humanitarian achievements.  The best way to do this is toconfront increasing Holocaust denial and antisemitism, and to commit tolearning about the anti-Jewish hatred which led to the Holocaust.”

“FSWC is proud to honourRaoul Wallenberg’s legacy by offering “Lessons and Legacies of the Holocaust”workshops to thousands of students in schools and communities across Ontarioevery year. We have also developed a new website, www.neverforgetme.ca , which includes eye-witness survivor testimonyand the stories of several Holocaust survivors, for use as a teaching tool. OnRaoul Wallenberg Day we are reminded of the need to reflect on the dangers ofhatred, and of the importance of doing all we can as individuals andcommunities to foster a more tolerant and accepting world.”

MEDIA INFORMATION

To speak to Mr. Benlolo about Raoul Wallenbergand Holocaust-related issues contact:
StaceyL. Starkman
Director of Communications & External Relations
416.864.9735 x 32 / sstarkman@fswc.ca
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Friends of Simon WiesenthalCenter (FSWC) is a leading Canadian non-profit human rights foundationdirectly representing over 30,000 members. FSWC is committed to counteringracism and antisemitism and to promoting the principles of tolerance,social justice and Canadian democratic values through advocacy andeducational programs including workshops, Freedom Day, the Spirit of HopeBenefit, Tools for Tolerance and the widely acclaimed new Tour for Humanity. FSWC is affiliated with theSimon Wiesenthal Center, an international Jewish human rights organizationheadquartered in Los Angeles, which has won two Academy Awards, has built twoMuseums of Tolerance (with a third being built in Jerusalem) and is an NGOat the United Nations, UNESCO, OAS, OSCE, the Council of Europe and theLatin American Parliament. Visit us at www.fswc.ca

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