Jerusalem – This coming Tuesday, July 23, the Simon Wiesenthal Center will launch an unprecedented poster campaign in the streets of major German cities, to publicize its Operation Last Chance II project, which offers rewards of up to 25,000 euros for information which will help facilitate the prosecution in Germany of heretofore unprosecuted war criminals. A statement issued here today by the coordinator of the project, the Center's chief Nazi-hunter and Israel director Dr. Efraim Zuroff, explained the background to the campaign which was launched in the wake of the Demjanjuk conviction in Munich for his service as an armed SS guard at the Sobibor death camp.

According to Zuroff:

"Ivan Demjanjuk was the first Holocaust perpetrator to be convicted in Germany in decades solely on the basis of his service in a death camp. This conviction paves the way for additional prosecutions of individuals who served in death camps, as well as the members of the Einsatzgruppen (mobile killing units). Our poster campaign in Berlin, Hamburg and Cologne is an appeal to people who can help us identify and/or find these perpetrators while they can still be brought to justice.

"And in response to those who question the value of bringing elderly Nazi war criminals to justice, it is important to remember that:

1. The passage of time in no way diminishes the guilt of the killers.
2. Old age should not afford immunity to murderers.
3. Every one of the Nazis' victims deserves that an effort be made to hold their killers accountable.
4. This ongoing effort is a reminder of the importance of Holocaust crimes and a warning to contemporary anti-Semites and racists.
5. These trials are helpful in the ongoing struggle against Holocaust denial and distortion."

For more information call 00-972-50-7214156, join the Center on Facebook, www.facebook.com/simonwiesenthalcenter, or follow @simonwiesenthal for news updates sent direct to your Twitter page or mobile device.

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).