Marking the 100th anniversary of the birth of Simon Wiesenthal on 31 December 2008, Yad Vashem and the Simon Wiesenthal Center have launched a new, joint educational resource based on the National Jewish Book Award-winning Antisemitism: The Generic Hatred, that was published (2007) under the auspices of UNESCO, the Simon Wiesenthal Center and the Verbe et Lumiere foundation in France and was edited by Mark Weitzman, the Director of the Wiesenthal Center’s Task Force Against Hate and Dr. Shimon Samuels, the Center’s Director for International Relations along with Michael Fineberg.

“Strategies in Facing Antisemitism: An Educational Resource Guide”  consists of articles by internationally recognized authors from countries affiliated with the Task Force for International Cooperation on Holocaust Education, Remembrance, and Research (ITF). These include Prof. Irwin Cotler of Canada, who wrote on “The New Antisemitism: An Assault on Human Rights”, Prof. Gert Weisskirchen of Germany, who is also the Special Representative to the OSCE Chairman-in-Office on Antisemitism Issues, who wrote about “When it is Not Enough to Know: The European Experience”, and Gunther Jekeli of Germany who described “The Kreuzberg Initiative against Antisemitism in Berlin”., co-edited Antisemitism: The Generic Hatred, which received the 2007 National Jewish Book Award.

Other articles include a brief biography of Simon Wiesenthal, a short historical overview of antisemitism, a guide for educators from the OSCE/ODIHR and Yad Vashem, information on antisemitism on the internet from the Simon Wiesenthal Center and a new lesson plan for high school students on antisemitism developed by Yad Vashem. The Guide, available in English, will be accessible at www.yadvashem.org and at www.wiesenthal.com, by using this link.

Simon Wiesenthal was born on December 31, 1908, and passed away at the age of 96 on September 20, 2005, in Vienna.

Contact: Iris Rosenberg or Susan Weisberg / Yad Vashem Media Relations
+972 2 644 3411/0 / media.relations@yadvashem.org.il

In the U.S.: Avra Shapiro, Director Public Relations, Simon Wiesenthal Center, avra@wiesenthal.com or Marcial Laviña, Asst. Director, mlavina@wiesenthal.net
P: 310-553-9036 F: 310-553-4521.

Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Martyrs’ and Heroes Remembrance Authority, was established by the Knesset in 1953. Located in Jerusalem, it is dedicated to Holocaust remembrance, documentation, research and education. www.yadvashem.org

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, and the Council of Europe.