Wiesenthal Center: Israel Faces New Threat Of Nuclear Antisemitism; World Must Act Against Iran

January 13, 2006

WIESENTHAL CENTER: ISRAEL FACES NEW THREAT OF NUCLEAR ANTISEMITISM;  WORLD MUST ACT AGAINST IRAN

The Simon Wiesenthal Center said today that for the first time the State of Israel and the Jewish people now face a new threat of nuclear antisemitism and that the world must act in concert against the Iranian regime by invoking sanctions.

“Never before in the history of the Jewish people have we lived with the threat that one bomb could lead to the extinction of nearly half of the world’s Jewish population and the Middle East’s strongest democracy. Even under Hitler the Jews did not face such a threat.”

“While the crisis in Iran has raised the stakes for everyone, the threat to Israel is unique,” said Rabbi Marvin Hier, founder and dean of the Wiesenthal Center. “Today, 40% of the world’s Jews live in Israel and they cannot afford to place their destiny in the hands of a country that believes the Holocaust is a myth and that calls for the obliteration of the State of Israel. The clock has run out on discussions and the time has come for the UN to act decisively by imposing sanctions,” Hier continued.

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 and the Council of Europe.

For more information, please contact the Center's Public Relations Department, 310-553-9036, or visit  www.wiesenthal.com