Antisemitism Awareness Day
On Wednesday, 27th January 2004, 4th Shvat 5763, the State
of Israel will mark Antisemitism Awareness Day.
This date was instituted in recent years as Holocaust Memorial
Day in a number of European countries, because it marks the liberation
of Auschwitz from the Nazis.
The Jewish People and the State of Israel need to unite
in the common interest of combatting Antisemitism. The educational aims
that we wish to emphasize on Antisemitism Awareness Day are:
- Enhancing awareness and knowledge of the history and the new face
of Antisemitism;
- the correlation between the hatred or persecution of the Jewish people
and anti-Israel or anti-Zionist activity around the world.
January 27: Israel's National Day to Combat Anti-Semitism
(Communicated by the Minister for Jerusalem and Diaspora Affairs)
Information Department, Israel Foreign Ministry - Jerusalem
Website: http://www.mfa.gov.il
E-mail: feedback@mfa.gov.il
Jerusalem, January 22, 2004
Natan Sharansky, Minister for Jerusalem and Diaspora Affairs, inaugurates
Israel's first national day of solidarity with Jewish communities around
the world suffering from the rising tide of anti-Semitism.
Natan Sharansky, Israel's Minister for Jerusalem and Diaspora Affairs,
announced today that the Israeli Government has designated January 27
as a "National Day to Combat Anti-Semitism". On this day, chosen
to coincide with the annual European commemoration of the Holocaust, Israeli
schools, the IDF, public institutions and the media are conducting special
programming focused on the dangers of resurgent anti-Semitism around the
world.
"Anti-Semitism threatens the Jewish people, the very existence of
the State of Israel, and in fact the entire world," said Sharansky.
"We must raise awareness in Israel, strengthen the solidarity between
Israel and world Jewry, and increase Israeli citizens' sense of responsibility
regarding events in the Diaspora."
The date January 27 - the date Auschwitz was liberated - is the official
Holocaust Memorial Day in many European countries, including Sweden, the
UK, Denmark, Italy and Germany. At Sharansky's instigation, the cabinet's
ministerial committee for ceremonies has declared the day an official
national day of solidarity with Jewish communities enduring increasing
anti-Semitism, and of education and action to fight anti-Semitism throughout
the world.
"We must combat anti-Semitism today; tomorrow may be too late,"
Sharansky added. "History has taught us that anti-Semitism starts
with the Jews, but doesn't end with them. Thus the fight against anti-Semitism
is everyone's obligation - as Israelis, as Jews, and as citizens of the
world."
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