Paris Mayor Accepts Wiesenthal Centre Call To Expand City Fund Drive For Lebanon Refugees To Include Israeli Victims Of Hizbollah Terrorist Missiles

August 11, 2006

SIMON WIESENTHAL CENTRE
64, avenue Marceau - 75008 Paris - Tel. +33147237637 - Fax: +33147208401

Paris Mayor Accepts Wiesenthal Centre Call to Expand City Fund Drive for Lebanon Refugees to Include Israeli Victims of Hizbollah Terrorist Missiles

Paris

On 1 August, Richard Odier, Secretary-General of the Simon Wiesenthal Centre - Europe, and the Centre's Director Dr Shimon Samuels, wrote to Paris Mayor, Bertrand Delanoë.

The City of Paris, at the request of the Lebanese Embassy, had launched a fund-drive for the Lebanese wounded and displaced in the current conflict. Urging balance, the Centre requested the inclusion of Israeli victims of Hizbollah terrorist missiles as recipients of the City's generosity.

Mayor Delanoë has now announced that Paris citizens may direct their donations to either of two bank accounts, the first in cooperation with the Embassy of Lebanon, the second in consultation with the Embassy of Israel. Illuminated billboards throughout Paris will carry this message of the City's mutual solidarity with all the victims of this tragic war.

The Simon Wiesenthal Centre considers the Mayor's response as consonant with its own pedagogical campaign against incitement to hate and violence.

In expressing its appreciation to the Mayor for his rapid response to its appeal, the Centre has offered its contacts in Israel to the municipality for the logistical implementation of this generous initiative.

The immediate needs of almost one million Israeli evacuees and shelter-bound victims of Hizbollah rockets - Jews, Druze, Muslims and Christians - in northern cities and villages will become more distressing with the imminent start of the new school year.

Thus the support of the City of Paris will be ever more welcome.

For further information, please contact Richard Odier at +33 147237637, or Shimon Samuels at +33 609770158..