Political leaders from nearly two dozen European and North American countries are coming together to fight anti-Semitism by taking part in the 2015 Solidarity Sabbath, an initiative organized by the Lantos Foundation for Human Rights and Justice.
The event on Friday, May 22 is designed to combat anti-Semitism while promoting freedom of religion, conscience and belief.
The foundation is a nonprofit established in honor of Tom Lantos, a member of the House of Representatives from 1981 until his death in 2008. He was the only Holocaust survivor to serve in Congress. The chair of the foundation is his widow, Annette, who worked full time in her husband’s office during his long tenure representing northern San Mateo County and part of San Francisco.
The Solidarity Sabbath has commitments from high-level political leaders from 22 nations including Austria, Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Spain, Sweden and the United States. The foundation will recognize work that the participating nations are already doing to show support for their respective Jewish communities, educate citizens about the importance of religious freedom and directly combat anti-Semitism.
“These countries must be commended for sending the unequivocal message that bigotry and hatred will find no sanctuary within their borders,” said Katrina Lantos Swett, daughter of Tom Lantos and president of the foundation. “However, the Solidarity Sabbath provides a unique opportunity for leaders in Europe and North America to stand shoulder to shoulder against anti-Semitism and send a powerful message that this kind of hate will not be tolerated.”
For more information, visit www.solidaritysabbath.org.