New York, U.S.A. – The World Jewish Congress has applauded the introduction of bi-partisan legislation by Representatives Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Howard Berman (D-CA), Ted Poe (R-TX), Joe Crowley (D-NY), and Bob Turner (R-NY) that seeks to recognize the fact that 850,000 Jewish refugees were expelled from Arab countries during the past 60 years.

Among other actions, the bill would require the President and members of the administration to raise this issue with all relevant international organizations and other parties in discussions of the Middle East and to report to Congress that they have done so.

Evelyn Sommer, Chair, World Jewish Congress, North America, said “For a long time, the plight of the Jews who were forced to flee Arab countries has been ignored by the international community. Since 1948, in many countries across the Middle East and North Africa, Jews were persecuted, their property stolen, and ancient Jewish synagogues and cemeteries were destroyed. Banished and impoverished, most of these Jewish refugees came to Israel where they were welcomed with open arms, became citizens, and today thrive in the Jewish state.”

“Yet, the injustices done to these Jewish communities that existed for many hundreds of years and that were brutally uprooted have not been recognized or addressed. There are no United Nations resolutions to be found acknowledging this fact. We praise Representatives Nadler, Ros-Lehtinen, Berman, Poe, Crowley, and Turner for introducing this initiative in the House to help raise awareness of this history of intolerance and to demand an honest reckoning of this repression. We strongly urge the members of the United States Congress to pass this legislation,” said Sommer.

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The Recording Academy, the organization internationally known for the Grammy Awards, will present its 2012 Grammys on the Hill Awards in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, April 25 at the Liaison Capitol Hill hotel.

Often referred to as Washington’s most interesting mix of music and politics, the event will honor U.S. Representative Howard Berman (D-Calif.) and seven-time Grammy-winning singer/songwriter/producer John Mayer for their commitment to improving the working environment for the nation’s music community.

The Grammys on the Hill events include an awards ceremony on April 25 and the music community’s only annual advocacy day on Capitol Hill on Thursday, April 26, at which hundreds of music professionals from across the country will visit with legislators to advance pro-music policies that improve the environment for music and its makers.

For updates and breaking news, please visit The Recording Academy’s social networks on Twitter and Facebook: www.twitter.com/thegrammys, www.facebook.com/thegrammys. For updates on Advocacy, please follow @TRAinDC on Twitter.

“Advocating for the protection of music makers’ rights is an essential part of the work we do at The Academy, and Grammys on the Hill is an excellent opportunity to recognize leaders and influencers who work on this mission, while inviting our members to utilize their voice,” said Recording Academy President/CEO Neil Portnow. “This year we are proud to honor Rep. Berman, who has a long history of working to support music creators, and John Mayer, who beyond being an enormous talent is also an active philanthropist in arts and education.”

Grammys on the Hill Awards: April 25, 6:30 – 10 p.m.

Taking place at the Liaison Capitol Hill hotel, the Grammys on The Hill Awards will include a cocktail reception preceding the awards ceremony with special guest presenters and performers to help recognize the achievements of Berman and Mayer as well as a Grammy Foundation Signature School that has demonstrated excellence in music education.

Grammys on the Hill Advocacy Day: April 26, 8 a.m. – 2 p.m.

This advocacy day for music makers features a morning briefing with keynote speeches by leading legislators and lobbying members of Congress on Capitol Hill with special guests.

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