Sign up for Weekday J and get the latest on what's happening in the Jewish Bay Area.

Eight Muslim American leaders, including Santa Clara imam Suhabib Webb, toured several former Nazi concentration camps earlier this month, meeting with Holocaust survivors and later signing a statement condemning Holocaust denial and anti-Semitism.

The Aug. 7-11 trip intended to teach the participants about the Holocaust. The itinerary included visits to Auschwitz and Dachau.

Marshall Breger, an Orthodox Jew who served in the Reagan and first Bush administrations, helped plan the trip to educate those who may not have had the opportunity to learn the history of the Holocaust. Breger said the experience would help combat Holocaust denial among Muslims.

After their visit, the group pledged to work with other faith leaders “to fight the dehumanization of all peoples based on their religion, race or ethnicity. With the disturbing rise of anti-Semitism, Islamophobia and other forms of hatred, rhetoric and bigotry, now more than ever, people of faith must stand together for truth.” — jta