Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center for Holocaust Studies Presents "Decoding Hate"

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - Aug. 1, 2014) -

Editors Note: There is a photo and video accompanying this press release.

Rising levels of antisemitism around the world, from Arabic chants of "slaughter the Jews" at a rally in Belgium to the destruction of Jewish owned stores and property, and cries of "Death to Jews" at protests in France and all across Europe, have now made their way to Canada.

This past weekend was the site of one of the most profound antisemitic protests ever to take place in the city of Toronto at Queen's Park. The annual Al Quds rally, established by the Ayatollah Khomeini of Iran and exported to countries around the globe, is dedicated to the destruction of the state of Israel, the killing of all its Jewish citizens, and the establishment of a Palestinian state "from the river to the sea", - a slogan which implies the eradication of the entire Jewish state.

"The antisemitic hate that the Jewish community has felt brewing for years has found its way to the surface and is proudly displayed, along with posters and placards of Khomeini and Hamas - both of whom have sworn to destroy Israel and Jews - on the steps of Ontario's provincial legislature," said FSWC President and CEO Avi Benlolo. "That Holocaust survivors who experienced the horrors of Nazi efforts to exterminate the Jewish people should now see the same level of hatred directed against Canada's Jewish community on the grounds of our provincial government is horrible and shameful. The time has long passed for authorities to act on the hate directed at Canadian Jews by supporters of a radical Islamist ideology that is fundamentally opposed to our values of freedom and democracy."

-- Avi Benlolo is available for feature interviews on the subject. Having just led a mission to Auschwitz and Majdanek death camps with Canadian officials and having participated in a high level meeting with French President Francois Hollande on the subject of Antisemitism and Islamic Terror, Mr. Benlolo can provide a 360 degree overview on global antisemitism.

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Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center (FSWC) is a leading non-profit human rights organization directly representing over 30,000 Canadian members. FSWC is committed to countering racism and antisemitism and to promoting the principles of tolerance, social justice and Canadian democratic values through advocacy and education. Through its affiliation with the Simon Wiesenthal Center, the organization has won two Academy Awards, has two Museums of Tolerances (with a third being built in Jerusalem) and is represented at the United Nations and the OSCE. FSWC has a diverse number of programs, including Freedom Day, Speakers Idol and the Tour4Humanity.

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