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CONGRATULATIONS TO . . .
Christine Williams, a member  of the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center Task Force against Antisemitism, on her recent appointment as a Director of the Canadian Race Relations Foundation. Ms. Williams, the Producer and Host of Inside World Report with Christine Williams on the Crossroads Television System, is a long-time supporter of FSWC and a columnist with the Stonegate (formerly the Hudson) Institute.
CLICK HERE to read Ms. Williams latest article for Stonegate, "The Big Lie: Israel Apartheid"
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THUMBS UP!
 . . . To the Weekly Press Pakistan- Canada online newspaper for its ongoing efforts to promote recognition of Israel and respect for the Jewish people among the world's non-Arab Muslims. The bilingual Urdu-English paper regularly features positive articles about Israel and Jews as well as stories about gender equality for both local and international audiences.
CLICK HERE to read this week's issue of the Weekly Press Pakistan online.
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DID YOU KNOW. . .
. . . that Spirit of Hope panelist Karl Rove, former Deputy Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor to President George W. Bush, is just as baffled as
everyone else about where the Republican presidential nomination process is heading.
Speaking on Fox News earlier this week after Rick Santorum's wins in the 'Deep South' primaries in Mississippi and Alabama he admitted, "It's a mystifying picture looking forward."
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New FSWC
"COMPASSION TO ACTION"
Mission to Europe planned for Fall 2012
"I consider myself fortunate to
have been in the company of FSWC and especially survivor, Max Eisen,whose personal testimony on site was unforgettable; I am still
processing the experience."
~Dr. James Lunney, MP
"From Compassion to Action" plans are under way!
FSWC will be travelling with a high level delegation of Canadians to Poland and Israel from October 21st to October 30th, 2012. While visiting sites of the Holocaust and learning about the importance of Israel today, participants will have the opportunity to meet and speak with leading experts in the fields of Holocaust and tolerance education.
A limited number of spots are available on the program. If you are interested in joining the delegation please contact Melissa Mikel at (416) 864-9735 x24 or mmikel@fswc.ca
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NEWS FEATURES OF THE WEEK
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The FSWC
SPIRIT OF HOPE CAMPAIGN Presents an Exclusive Screening
IN THE LAND OF BLOOD AND HONEY
with Angelina Jolie
Spirit of Hope donors are invited to join FSWC on Monday, March 26 at the Cineplex Odeon Theatre- 55 Bloor St. West in Toronto @7 pm for the FREE event
To register contact Melissa Mikel at 416.864.9735 x 24 or email mmikel@fswc.ca
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SPIRIT OF HOPE: PHASE II BEGINS!
As regular readers of FastForward and the weekly Spirit of Hope Alerts are aware, the 2012 Spirit of Hope campaign is going tremendously well. Our success is a testament to the strong leadership of event Co-Chairs Judy and Paul Bronfman and our community of supporters at large, who have gone above and beyond the call of duty in their efforts to support FSWC's annual Benefit.
Now at the midpoint of our campaign, we have entered the second phase of our fundraising appeal. Formal invitations have been mailed, the venue has "pushed the room out" to accommodate a greater number of guests and the campaign is receiving support from an ever greater number of corporate and foundation sponsors.
As we enter Phase II, the Spirit of Hope Campaign Team looks forward to the involvement and commitment of the wider community in joining Toronto's biggest spring fundraising event in support tolerance, justice and human rights.
CLICK HERE to see our impressive list of corporate and foundation sponsors
CLICK HERE to register today
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MUSICAL THEATRE FOUNDER TO BE HONOURED AT FSWC EVENT
In bringing a play about Simon Wiesenthal to Toronto to commemorate Yom HaShoah, FSWC decided to take advantage of the event to honour one of the city's most  innovative educators on the Holocaust. The Canadian Premier of the one-man play Nazi Hunter - Simon Wiesenthal on April 19 is a perfect opportunity to recognize Helena Fine, Founder and Artistic Producer of the Te-Amim Music Theatre.
"Te-Amim is a unique arts company in Canada. It was founded in order to nurture an appreciation and understanding of cultural differences, but its focus is on the Holocaust, arguably the defining evil of the twentieth century. Through artistic expression we want to affect young people as they begin thinking about these critical issues in society," explains Ms. Fine.
FSWC President and CEO Avi Benlolo believes honouring a Holocaust educator - who is also the daughter of Holocaust survivors - at a play about Simon Wiesenthal is a natural fit.
"This is an exceptional chance to recognize Ms. Fine for her extensive work in Holocaust education through the arts," said Avi Benlolo, President and CEO of FSWC. "We have partnered with her and Te-Amim on a number  of projects, including the production of The Secret of Gabi's Dresser - the first Canadian Holocaust drama for young audiences and one which reached more than 20,000 students. We are consistently inspired by her ability to use the dramatic arts to teach such a difficult subject to youth and very pleased to be able to honour her in this way."
Nazi Hunter - Simon Wiesenthal premiers at 7:00 pm on April 19 at the Toronto Center for the Arts. Tickets are $75 & $50 for Spirit of Hope ticket holders. To purchase your tickets today contact Stephanie Eldridge at 416.864.9735 x 22 or email seldridge@fswc.ca
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ON CAMPUS THIS WEEK
Egypt-Israel Peace takes Centre Stage at
Concordia University
An FSWC-sponsored student event was successful in bringing together more than 100 people to hear Israeli Consul General Joel Lion and Egyptian Consul General Amin Meleika speak about topics pertinent to both countries, including the future of the Camp David peace treaty and the Arab Spring.
The Wine & Cheese evening, presented by Montreal's Concordia Students for Israel (CSI) and the Egyptian Students Association, included activities designed to
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A student asks a question during the Q & A session
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promote partnership between the two sides; the event featured discussion about the tunnels into Gaza with an emphasis on the importance of stability and economic cooperation between the two countries, as well as the freedom and safety of both peoples.
The atmosphere was generally friendly and non-aggressive, save for a brief interlude during the question & answer session. "It was overwhelming during the Q & A period because some students did not abide by the guidelines of respect for either politician and questions shifted in focus to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict rather than Israeli-Egyptian affairs," said CSI Co- President Ehle Shachter. We quelled the tension and the majority of the crowd was very calm and did not follow suit in hostility," she explained.
Middle East Expert to Speak at Ottawa Universities
Middle East expert and foreign policy analyst Dr. Mitchell Bard, Executive Director of the nonprofit American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise (AICE) and Director of the Jewish Virtual Library will present two lectures in  Ottawa on Wednesday, March 21.
Dr. Bard, who served for three years as the editor of the Near East Report, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee's (AIPAC) weekly newsletter on U.S. Middle East policy, has also appeared on Fox News, MSNBC, NBC, CBC, the Jenny Jones Show, al-Jazeera and other local, national and international television and radio outlets.
Co-sponsored by FSWC in partnership with the Israel Awareness Committee, Dr. Bard will speak at Ottawa University at 1 pm on the topic of 'US Strategic Challenges and Possibilities in the Post-Spring Middle-East' and at 7.30 pm on 'Middle East Peace: Prospects for the Future' at Carleton University.
For further information please email
israelaffairs@hillelottawa.ca
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ANTISEMITIC GAME IS REMOVED FOLLOWING SWC PROTEST AND JERUSALEM POST EXPOSE
March 14, 2012 - The Simon Wiesenthal Center expressed satisfaction after a blatantly anti-Semitic game was removed following a protest by Simon Wiesenthal Center International Relations Director, Dr. Shimon Samuels and an expose in the Jerusalem Post.
The board game, "Settlers of Catan", was distributed by the Dutch VPRO media corporation. "The historic embedded anti-Semitic stereotypes combined with anti-Israel animus are a toxic mix in much of Europe," said Rabbi Abraham Cooper, SWC associate dean.
"That it took an expose by the Jerusalem Post and a protest by the Simon Wiesenthal Center to force the removal of this blatantly anti-Semitic "game" is a reflection of a broader reality in 2012 Europe; classic anti-Semitic stereotypes, shunned in polite society after the Shoah are back in mainstream vogue. They create an especially toxic environment when combined with an anti-Israel animus. We can only hope that government, social and educational leaders across the full sprectrum of society will begin to confront resurgent anti-Semitism that finds expression from within the elite to rants at football matches," Cooper concluded.
READ MORE . . .
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MEDIA CONTACT
Stacey Starkman
Communications Manager
Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center for Holocaust Studies
416.864.9735 x 32
sstarkman@fswc.ca
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