Only 70 years after the Holocaust, there is again a vicious and deadly hatred directed at Europe’s Jews.
In France, Jews have been under the constant threat of anti-Semitic attacks including the recent terrorist attack in Paris, synagogue firebombings, and more. French police are now guarding vulnerable Jewish sites including the Wiesenthal Center’s Paris office. According to Scotland Yard, in the UK, hate crimes against Jews in London more than doubled last year. In many countries around the world, anti-Semitic attacks have reached record highs.
Today, as the world pauses to commemorate International Holocaust Remembrance Day, anti-Semitism and violence towards Jews is at an all time high.
At the Simon Wiesenthal Center, we are working to fight this growing tide of anti-Semitism and Holocaust denial while also working to keep alive the memory of the Holocaust:
• Millions of visitors have heard first-hand accounts from Holocaust survivors who share their stories at the Museums of Tolerance in Los Angeles and New York. Lessons of the Holocaust are experienced through interactive exhibits, including “Anne” and “The Hitler Letter” at the Museum of Tolerance, Los Angeles, a recent recipient of the prestigious 2015 Superintendent’s Award for Excellence in Museum Education.
• The Courage to Remember, our landmark traveling Holocaust exhibition continues to be displayed in cities around the world and has already been seen by millions of people on five continents from Thailand to Kenya.
• Tens of millions of people have seen our films in theaters, and on cable and television around the world including our two Moriah Films Academy Award® winners, Genocide and The Long Way Home, both of which tell the story of the Shoah.
• Our annual report on the Worldwide Status of Nazi War Criminals, prepared by the SWC’s Chief Nazi Hunter Dr. Efraim Zuroff, keeps pressure on countries to arrest and convict Nazi war criminals; lack of political will, not the suspect’s age, is the biggest obstacle to bringing Nazi war criminals to justice.
• Operation Last Chance, the Center’s campaign in Germany, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Poland, Romania, Austria Croatia and Hungary, aims to bring remaining Nazi war criminals to justice by offering rewards for information leading to their arrest and conviction.
The need for the Center’s work has rarely been so urgent - your help is needed more than ever before. Help us continue to be vigilant and continue our critical work.
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