Jun 26, 1998 - CJC PRAISES ANTI-RACISM WORK OF VICTORIA JEWISH COMMUNITY
TORONTO, JUNE 26, 1998 – Canadian Jewish Congress National President Moshe Ronen is lauding the work done by leaders from the Victoria Jewish community in relation to a group called the "Canadian Free Speech League" and its attempt to secure rental space at a suburban public library.
Mr. Ronen paid particular credit to Michael Peters, a co-chair of the CJC National Small Communities and president of the Jewish Federation of Victoria, who helped spearhead a demonstration opposed to the library gathering which attracted some 300 anti-racism activists.
"It has long been CJC policy to make the public aware of those organizations whose members include Holocaust deniers, potential hatemongers and anti- Semites," said Mr. Ronen. "With the knowledge that Paul Fromm, Doug Collins and others of their ilk were potential guest speakers at this ‘gathering,’ Michael Peters and his colleagues worked diligently to inform the Victoria community of the fact that such individuals were granted permission to rent the space in the library. While the library board chose to maintain its position on the rental, the work done by this anti-racism coalition to highlight this injustice was exceptional."
Mr. Ronen pledged that the CJC National Community Relations Committee (NCRC), chaired by Mark Weintraub of Vancouver, will continue to work closely with its regional counterparts to deal with those in our society who would foment hatred and deny the Holocaust. "Through the selfless efforts of our many dedicated volunteers like Mr. Weintraub and Mr. Peters we are confident that these bigots will remain on the periphery of society where they belong," concluded the CJC president.
Contact:
Michael J. Cohen, National Director of Communications Canadian Jewish Congress
(514) 931-7531
mikec@cjc.ca
http://www.cjc.ca/template.php?action=news&story=331
