A Message from the President and CEO, Canada
Dear Friend,
We live in a changing world – one in which hatred and antisemitism is once again becoming not only accepted but, in the guise of anti-Israel sentiment, even fashionable.
As Canadians, we have borne collective witness to the tragic effects of these attitudes, and together we will continue to challenge those who choose the path of intolerance and destruction instead of dialogue and peace.
Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center is here to support the international efforts of the Simon Wiesenthal Center; to counter antisemitism, hate and intolerance through education and advocacy; to promote tolerance, justice and human rights and to keep the memory of the Holocaust alive through education.
In the early days, we focused mainly on pursuing Nazi war criminals and Holocaust remembrance and education. While these are still core areas, today’s greatest challenge is the rise of antisemitism disguised as hatred for Israel.
Through active participation of a board of Directors, a board of Governors and many subcommittees and volunteers, our constituency in Canada has grown to over 25,000 families. In 2010 – 2011, our major program investments will include Moriah Films; the Jerusalem Museum; Diversity Training at the Tom and Anna Koffler Tolerance Training Center; the Glassman Tools for Tolerance Training programme; social action and advocacy; media monitoring and reporting; campus advocacy; community outreach and much more.
What guides us is Tikkun Olam – repair of the world. Through integrity, co-operation, creativity, leadership, sustainability, stewardship and humility, we strive for a better tomorrow for all of humanity. We believe in early prevention and in shaping our own destiny and in this, the protection of democratic ideals. With every step forward, we are reminded how fragile we are and how the world can easily plunge into chaos.
We aspire to create a Canadian tolerance training center that utilizes the technology and expertise developed by the Simon Wiesenthal Center’s Museum of Tolerance and the New York Tolerance Training Center. We believe that our existing knowledge, expertise, community relationships and brand, place us in a unique position to facilitate such a project.
It is our vigilance as a democratic society that allows our voices to be heard and our determined desire for tolerance and peace that ensures that the words “Never Again” do not ring hollow.
Yours truly,
Avi Benlolo
Board of Directors
Samuel Belzberg
Honourary Chairman
Gerald W. Schwartz
Chairman
Lawrence Bloomberg
Paul Bronfman
Tony Comper
Gordon R. Diamond
Joel Feldberg
Ron Frisch
Dr. Max Glassman
Malka Green
Rabbi Marvin Hier
Rabbi Meyer May
Philip Reichmann
Jill Reitman
Honey Sherman
Alex Shnaider
Allan Silber
Raymond Stone
Cecil Yolles
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Board of Governors
Executive Committee
Garry Foster, Chairman
Walter Arbib
Brad Ashley
Norm Bacal
Cecil Brauer
Mitchell Brown
Merrick Falkenstein
Alan Farber
Garry Foster
Jeremy Freedman
Allen Grinberg
Joe Gottdenker
Howard Kerbel
Tom Koffler
Helene Korn
Oded Orgil
Rick Sacks
Mike Sereny
Harry Silverberg
Hal Silverstein
Dorothy Shoichet
Arthur Stern
Mark Teitelbaum
Charles Wachsberg
Larry Maher
Mark Weisbarth
Eddie Weisz
Eric Weisz
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Board of Governors Body
Ron Appleby
Victor Arluk
Gary Bensky
Dr. Rose Rahmani
Dr. Andrew Braude
Allan Brown
Farley Cohen
Jack Fine
Sheldon Hellin
Alan Lechem
Markus Luft
Joel Matlin
Howard Meyer
Faye Minuk
Henry Schnurbach
Marilyn Sliwin
Maryka Weisz
Michael Bregman
David Cynamon
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