President of the Russian Jewish Congress (RJC) and the World Holocaust Forum Foundation, Viatcheslav Kantor met on May 10, 2006 with Daniel Fried, Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, and members of the United States Congress in Washington during the RJC delegation’s three-day visit to the U.S., according to an RJC press release.
The delegation met with U.S. officials to discuss a number of issues related to the Second World Holocaust Forum, to be held in Kiev this September, 65 years after the tragedy in Babi Yar. The parties were united in their opinion that any attempts to deny the Holocaust, no matter who is involved, should be vigorously confronted.
During the meeting with Assistant Secretary of State Fried, the RJC President Viatcheslav Kantor discussed the possibility of top U.S. officials participating in the forum together with the leaders of other states, including Russia. The parties also stressed the importance of preserving the dialogue between the U.S. and Russia in order to strengthen their cooperation in many areas. Kantor noted that the RJC is taking specific steps to facilitate dialogue. In particular, he said that his organization was ready to convene a summit of the leaders of Russian and American Jewish organizations in Moscow.
During the meeting with members of Congress Henry Waxman, Gary Ackerman, Robert Wexler, Nita Lowey, and Shelley Berkley, the RJC delegation found support for their view that both legislators and public organizations must find ways to broaden the dialogue between Russia and the U.S. and encourage open discussion of existing issues.
Furthermore, the members of Congress spoke in favour of sending a written appeal to Russia’s leadership calling for preservation and development of an amicable dialogue between Russia and the U.S. They would like this dialogue to encompass specific projects, in particular, the elaboration of a global action programme, which would create the framework needed to fight anti-Semitism and ethnic intolerance around the world.
“One of the reasons for the significant escalation of xenophobia, not only in Russia, but all over the world, is our forgetfulness, our loss of historical memory. The Holocaust is a dramatic example of the consequences of such forgetfulness,” Kantor stated during the meeting.
The Congressional members supported Kantor’s view that we should preserve historical memory through educational programmes for young people that are implemented on the national and international levels to teach the lessons of history. They promised to provide their full support for the World Holocaust Forums.
“The Forums provide the opportunity to use extremely vivid examples to teach young people about the conditions that give rise to xenophobia and ethnic intolerance, as well as the consequences of these ills,” the RJC president pointed out. “When they address the forum, state leaders are doing more than simply expressing a negative attitude to such social phenomena. They have a real chance to use core human values to make young people feel the importance of their message.” Kantor went on to say that by doing this, heads of state take a commitment to prevent acts of xenophobia and ethnic intolerance in their countries.
