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April 28, 2004
Union
of Orthodox Jewish Congregations
Applauds Powell Condemnation of
Anti-Semitism at Berlin Conference
Today, the
Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America – the nation’s
largest Orthodox Jewish umbrella organization – applauded a strong
denunciation of anti-Semitism delivered today by U.S. Secretary of
State Colin Powell at an international conference on anti-Semitism
being held in Berlin, Germany.
The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (“OSCE”)
is sponsoring the conference on anti-Semitism at which Secretary
Powell spoke and to which Ms. Betty Ehrenberg, the UOJCA’s
director of international affairs, is an official delegate
appointed by the State Department.
In his remarks, Secretary Powell stated:
Today we
confront the ugly reality that anti-Semitism is not just a fact of
history, but a current event.... There is no justification for
anti-Semitism. [And] the line is crossed when Israel or its
leaders are demonized or vilified, for example by the use of Nazi
symbols and racist caricatures.
UOJCA
president, Harvey Blitz, commented on the Secretary’s remarks,
stating:
The Orthodox
Jewish community applauds Secretary of State Powell for issuing a
vigorous denunciation of the scourge of anti-Semitism which has
reared its head yet again in Europe in recent years. We deeply
appreciate the impact that the Secretary’s personal participation
and strong words have upon such a conference and hope it will lead
the OSCE members to take concrete actions to combat anti-Semitism
in Europe.
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