Needed Time

According to a 3-22-08 Marketwire report from TORONTO, ONTARIO, National Post newspaper carried an ad signed by 125 faculty from University of Toronto. The ad protested the University’s annual “Israeli Apartheid Week,” observance. The advertisement states, “We, the undersigned faculty members of the University of Toronto, oppose the hosting of the Israel Apartheid Week at our Institution, and request that the administration stop this hateful and divisive event from returning to our University in future years.” The advertisement identifies faculty signers by name, title and department.

In a statement released over the CCNMatthews wire service, the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center for Holocaust Studies (FSWC) spoke in support of the University of Toronto faculty members and the publication of the advertisement.
“We applaud these courageous University of Toronto faculty for taking a bold stand against this annual hate fest,” said Avi Benlolo, President and CEO of FSWC. “By publicly challenging the University’s decision to host Israeli Apartheid Week, they have clearly demonstrated that freedom of speech trumps intimidation. Our hope is that faculty at other universities across Canada and around the world follow in their footsteps and present a united front in opposing the hatred being fueled against Israel and the Jewish community.”

About Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center for Holocaust Studies: Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center for Holocaust Studies is a Canadian human rights organization dedicated to fostering tolerance and understanding through community involvement, educational outreach and social action. It has 25,000 members across Canada, and confronts important contemporary issues including racism, antisemitism, terrorism and genocide. The Center is affiliated with the world-wide, Los Angeles-based Simon Wiesenthal Center, an accredited Non-Government Organization with status at international agencies, including the United Nations, UNESCO, OSCE and the Council of Europe. With over 400,000 members of all faiths around the world, the Simon Wiesenthal Center has offices in New York, Miami, Paris, Jerusalem, Buenos Aires and Toronto. Simon Wiesenthal died in 2005 after devoting his life to preserving the memories of the victims of the Holocaust, while simultaneously seeking justice for the war criminals. Visit: www.fswc.ca.