25 April 2004
Accompanying President Moshe Katsav, Chairman of the Yad Vashem Directorate Avner Shalev will speak at the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Conference on Anti-Semitism. The Conference will be held at the invitation of Germany's Foreign Minister, Joschka Fischer. It will be held in the German Foreign Ministry in Berlin. Chairman Shalev will speak on Holocaust Education (see * below) during the third session, which will take place on April 28 between 17:00-18:45. Moderating this session, which is dedicated to the role of education in combating anti-Semitism, will be Yad Vashem Academic Advisor Prof. Yehuda Bauer.
The Conference will focus on anti-Semitism throughout the OSCE region. It will address a variety of measures participating States can take to fight anti-Semitism, including rule of law, anti-discrimination legislation and law enforcement, collecting and analyzing hate crime statistics, inter-faith and inter-community dialogue, education, and information dissemination and awareness-raising. Separate workshops will focus on concrete measures and best practices already implemented in OSCE States - among these are Holocaust education, the role of NGOs, Jew-hatred on the Internet, and contemporary Anti-Semitism.
Addressing the Conference will be President of Germany Johannes Rau and OSCE Chairman in Office Solomon Passy. Keynote speakers will be Elie Wiesel, Prof. Leszek Kolakowski, Madam Simone Veil, Günter Verheugen, and Paul Spiegel.
About the OSCE
The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is the largest regional security organization in the world with 55 participating States from Europe, Central Asia and North America. It is active in early warning, conflict prevention, crisis management and post-conflict rehabilitation. For more information.
* For more information on Yad Vashem’s Holocaust education programs.
