SWC calls on UN Secretary-General Guterres to Act after UN decision to Censor Jerusalem from Israeli Exhibit

March 28, 2022

The Simon Wiesenthal Center is calling on United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres to override a decision that would censor references to Jerusalem as Israel’s capitol in a proposed Israeli exhibit on democracy bound for UN headquarters in New York City. 

According to news reports, a UN department recently ruled that the proposed exhibit, titled “The Knesset Celebrates 70 Years – Parliament Shapes Israeli Society,” could only be displayed if some “problematic” language and photos were  deleted  - including references to Jerusalem as “the eternal capital of the Jewish people and their holy city.” 

“This exhibition celebrates Israel’s Parliament and is a testament to the state’s thriving democracy over the last 70 years,” said Eric J. Greenberg, SWC’s Director of United Nations Relations and Strategic Partnerships. “To censor the words and images of the exhibit would violate Israel’s freedom of expression and self-understanding. The Simon Wiesenthal Center therefore calls on Secretary General Guterres to override this attempt at censorship and approve the installation of the exhibit as it has been conceived.” 

For further information contact the Center’s Communications department at pressinquiries@wiesenthal.com, join the Center on Facebook, or follow @simonwiesenthal for news updates sent directly to your Twitter feed.

The Simon Wiesenthal Center is one of the largest international Jewish human rights organizations with over 400,000 member families in the United States. It is an NGO at international agencies including the United Nations, UNESCO, the OSCE, the OAS, the Council of Europe and the Latin American Parliament (Parlatino).