UN Secretary-General says he will convene a conference on education to combat anti-Semitism and other hate crimes.
Hezki Baruch, 09/11/19 21:11
An event was held this weekend to mark the 81st anniversary of Kristallnacht at the Jewish Heritage Museum in New York.
The event was attended by United Nations (UN) Secretary-General António Guterres, Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon, and dozens of UN ambassadors from around the world. George Klein, deputy chairman of the Jewish Heritage Museum; Phyllis Hindman, president of the March of the Living; Baruch Adler, deputy chairman of the March of the Living; and youth leaders also spoke at the event.
Ambassador Danon was behind the initiative in collaboration with the March of the Living and the Jewish Heritage Museum. During the event, guests toured the exhibition at the museum, which focuses on the Auschwitz concentration camp.
In his address, Secretary-General Guterres said that the exhibition should not be viewed as the past but as a tool for calculating our path in the face of “the ancient hatred in the world that still lives within us.”
He added that the world “must take action as soon as possible before hatred becomes normal. To prevent this, we must use education as a primary tool. People are not born to hate. Intolerance can be learned but can also be prevented. I will continue to be an explicit voice against the phenomenon of anti-Semitism.” The Secretary-General added that he will convene a UN conference on education in the fight against anti-Semitism and other hate crimes.
Ambassador Danon said in his speech that “to get rid of this disease we must vaccinate children and adults alike through education. Education for compassion, acceptance of the other, and tolerance.” The ambassador added that “the State of Israel has become the target of anti-Semitic acts but is also the best answer to the despised phenomenon by being a democratic, strong and prosperous state. Israel will always be the home of the Jewish people and will fight anti-Semitism wherever it raises its ugly head.”
Representatives of the youth leaders from the March of the Living who were present at the event called on the UN Secretary-General to increase support in the fight against anti-Semitism.
Last year, as part of the march, 20 youth leaders from around the world (USA, South Africa, Germany, Australia, Panama, Brazil and Canada) – some of whom had experienced anti-Semitism – signed a common charter to fight racism and anti-Semitism, and called on additional young people around the world to commit to fighting anti-Semitism.
Source: Arutz Sheva