Museum of Tolerance to Commemorate 20th Anniversary of North Valley Jewish Community Center Shooting: Child who was at the JCC during the shooting will be in attendance

August 12, 2019

(Los Angeles, CA, August 12, 2019) On Tuesday, August 13 at 12pm, the Simon Wiesenthal Center and its Museum of Tolerance will hold a press conference in commemoration of the 20^th anniversary of the horrific attacks which occurred at the North Valley Jewish Community Center in Granada Hills, CA. The press conference will take place at the Museum of Tolerance at 9786 West Pico Blvd., Los Angeles 90035.

On August 10, 1999, a white supremacist by the name of Buford Furrow Jr. opened fire as he entered the North Valley Jewish Community Center in Granada Hills in an attempt to send a “wakeup call to America to kill Jews.” As a result of Furrow’s actions, five people were shot, several of which were children.

After he left the JCC, Furrow stole a vehicle and traveled to Chatsworth, CA, where he shot and killed Joseph Ileto, a mailman and immigrant from the Philippines. Weeks before the JCC attack, Furrow visited the Museum of Tolerance as one of the places he had sought out to kill Jews.

An exhibit in the Museum of Tolerance, Confronting Hate in America, highlights the attack including a photo taken of police escorting the young children out of the JCC.

Rabbi Marvin Hier, Founder and Dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, and Rabbi Abraham Cooper, Associate Dean and Director of Global Social Action for the Center, will deliver a commemorative address and be available for questions immediately following.

Gaby Pollack, one of several children who attended the day camp that was evacuated during the shooting.

For more information, please contact the Center's Communications Department, 310-553-9036. join the Center on Facebook, www.facebook.com/simonwiesenthalcenter, or follow @simonwiesenthal for news updates sent direct to your Twitter feed.

About the Museum of Tolerance
The Museum of Tolerance (MOT) is the educational arm of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, dedicated to challenging visitors to confront bigotry and racism, and to understand the Holocaust in both historic and contemporary contexts. Since opening in 1993, the Museum has hosted close to seven million visitors, including three million youths. Close to 200,000 professionals have been trained in the Museum’s customized professional development programs. No other institution offers such a motivational mix of historical discovery and personal empowerment, fostering dialogue between the past, present and future, and putting a spotlight on the crucial social issues of the day. Holocaust survivors volunteer their time at the Museum up to four times a day to share their personal stories. They are the most effective ambassadors of memory, hope and tolerance. www.museumoftolerance.com

About the Simon Wiesenthal Center
The Simon Wiesenthal Center is a global human rights organization researching the Holocaust and hate in a historic and contemporary context. The Center confronts anti-Semitism, hate and terrorism, promotes human rights and dignity, stands with Israel, defends the safety of Jews worldwide, and teaches the lessons of the Holocaust for future generations. With a constituency of over 400,000 households in the United States, it is accredited as an NGO at international organizations including the United Nations, UNESCO, OSCE, Organization of American States (OAS), the Latin American Parliament (PARLATINO) and the Council of Europe. 

Headquartered in Los Angeles, the Simon Wiesenthal Center maintains offices in New York, Toronto, Miami, Chicago, Paris, Buenos Aires and Jerusalem.

 

 

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