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.

Image Courtesy of  MDGovpics

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New York, U.S.A. — The International organization representing Jewish communities in 100 countries, the World Jewish Congress (WJC) President Ronald S. Lauder has condemned the murderous terror attack in which six Israeli tourists and the Bulgarian bus driver were killed when one of three buses carrying mostly Israeli men, women and children was blown up outside the airport of Burgas, Bulgaria.

“It is no coincidence that this assault comes 18 years to the day since the Iranian regime sponsored attack against the AMIA Jewish community center in Buenos Aires took the lives of 85 innocent victims,” Lauder said. The current Iranian Defense Minister, Ahmed Vahidi, was indicted by Argentinian authorities, and is currently sought by Interpol.

“Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s comments regarding the Iranian regime’s involvement in this deadly attack reminds the world of the role Iran, and the terrorist groups it supports, play in global terrorism,” Lauder said.

The World Jewish Congress also salutes Israeli businessman Nochi Dankner for immediately dispatching a private plane with doctors and medical supplies to Burgas to treat the victims of this murderous assault.

In the Burgan attack that took place on 18 July 2012, seven people were killed and at least thirty-two injured in an explosion on an Israeli-operated tour bus at the Burgas Airport in the Black Sea resort of Burgas, a city of some 200,000 people and approximately 400 kilometers (250 miles) east of the capital, Sofia.

According to the initial reports of Bulgarian authorities, the blast was caused by a bomb in a luggage compartment. However, later it was argued by a Bulgarian official that the blast was probably carried out by a male suicide bomber with fake US documents. Bulgarian Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov stated that the suspected attacker is seen on security camera tape near the bus for about an hour before the blast and that he had a fake driver’s license from the U.S. state of Michigan. The suspected attacker was described as a white male with long hair and wearing glasses.

Image Courtesy of   World Jewish Congress

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