B’NAI BRITH CANADA AND FRIENDS OF SIMON WIESENTHAL CENTER SUPPORT DISTRIBUTION OF VITAL MEDICAL AID TO DARFUR

Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center for Holocaust Studies (FSWC) and B’nai Brith Canada announced today that the two organizations have come together to support a shipment of medicines valued at $338,400 to Sudan’s war-torn Darfur.

The medicines were delivered to Darfur this month to meet the urgent medical needs of refugees in camps across Darfur. This humanitarian initiative is in response to the deteriorating situation on the ground and the growing need for basic medical supplies by the population of the war-torn region. The conflict in Darfur has left more than 200,000 dead from violence and disease, and as many as 2.5 million people displaced.

“No one must turn a blind eye to the atrocities occurring in Darfur,” said Walter Arbib, member of the FSWC and B’nai Brith Canada Boards of Governors. “We are proud to do our part in coming to the aid of those in need in this war-torn region and provide basic medical supplies vital to their ongoing survival.”

“While ‘never again’ was supposed to be the watchword and lesson learned from the Holocaust, genocide and ethnic cleansing continues unabated in Darfur,” said Avi Benlolo, President and CEO of FSWC. “At FSWC we support projects that promote tolerance, justice and human rights, and hope that by taking action and leading by example, we can encourage other organizations to do the same.”

“It is our collective duty to build public awareness around pressing human rights issues like the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Darfur,” said Ruth Klein, National Director, Institute for International Affairs of B’nai Brith Canada. “This awareness must lead to concrete and constructive action. All sectors of society, from across the political, community and corporate arenas, must join forces to promote justice and peace for all peoples of the world.”

About B’nai Brith Canada
B’nai Brith Canada has been active in Canada since 1875 as the Jewish community’s foremost human rights agency.
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.

Media Contacts:

Jodi Echakowitz
Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center
416-271-7250
jechakowitz@fswc.ca


Karen Lazar
Director of Communications
B’nai Brith Canada
416-633-6224 X 140 (office)
416-312-9173 (cell)
klazar@bnaibrith.ca