L-R at FBI Headquarters in Washington, D.C.: Luis Quesada, Assistant Director Criminal Investigative Division; Rabbi Abraham Cooper, SWC Associate Dean & Director, Global Social Action Agenda; George Beach, Assistant Director Office of Partner Engagement; and Jay Greenberg, Deputy Assistant Director Criminal Division |
Against the backdrop of continuing hate crimes targeting Jews, including violence and vandalism in Chicago and neo-Nazi marches in Florida, the Simon Wiesenthal Center met with top FBI officials from the counterterrorism and criminal divisions at FBI headquarters in Washington, DC. Center officials urged the immediate creation of a special FBI Taskforce Against Anti-Semitism and the adoption of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance - IHRA definition of anti-Semitism by federal law enforcement. During the meeting, as well as another with a senior official of Homeland Security, the SWC offered to expand its Tools for Tolerance® training to focus on the varied strains of anti-Semitism currently manifesting in the US, in Europe and on social media. The Simon Wiesenthal Center will update you on these and other incidents in the days and weeks to come. Please support our work so we can continue fighting anti-Semitism and hate in the US and around the world. |