Wiesenthal Center- Other Universities Should Follow British University’s Cancellation of “Israel Apartheid Week”

February 21, 2017

Cancellation “may prove a turning point in the struggle to curb the demonization of the Jewish state at universities,” says Center Associate Dean

The Simon Wiesenthal Center hailed the precedent-setting decision by the University of Central Lancashire to cancel a planned “Israel Apartheid Week” event on the grounds that it violated the United Kingdom's newly adopted definition of anti-Semitism.

Rabbi Abraham Cooper the Associate Dean of the leading Jewish Human Rights NGO which is among the leaders in the struggle against anti-Semitism worldwide, declared that, "This precedent may prove a turning point in the struggle to curb the demonization of the Jewish state at universities. It provides a legal and moral context for Universities in the UK to reject extremism designed to intimidate and isolate Jewish students on campus at a time when there has been a spike in anti-Jewish hate crimes in the UK.”

Mark Weitzman, the Director of Government Affairs for the Wiesenthal Center, who played a pivotal role in gaining acceptance for the definition of anti-Semitism among many European countries, noted that "The University of Central Lancashire's decision, which is based on the recently adopted Working Definition of Antisemitism of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's (IHRA), offers firm evidence that this internationally accepted definition can play a vital role in the fight against antisemitism." Weitzman, who spearheaded the IHRA's adoption of the definition added, "We strongly urge other countries to follow the lead shown by the United Kingdom in adopting the IHRA definition and applying this valuable tool in the struggle against anti-Semitism."

For more information contact:

Mark Weitzman
Director of Government Affairs SWC
Chair, Committee on Antisemitism and Holocaust Denial
International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance
Cell. 917 864 -5133

Or Rabbi Abraham Cooper 1-310-210-9750 or 0524-316-448


For more information, please contact the Center's Public Relations 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.

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