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Smith Meets with President Bush in Oval Office to Press Fight Against Anti-Semitism |
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It was Smith who serves as Chairman of the U.S. Helsinki Commission and Vice Chairman of the House International Relations Committee who initiated the idea for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) conference in
That the conference occurred at all is the direct result of a major diplomatic push by the Bush Administration, including the President himself, Secretary of State Colin Powell and U.S. Ambassador to the OSCE Stephan Minikes, the Helsinki Commission, and Germany including Professor Gert Weisskirchen, a Vice President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly who has worked very closely with me on this important issue, he added.
Joining Smith in the Oval Office meeting were delegation chairman and former New York City Mayor Ed Koch, Senator George Voinovich, Congressman Ben Cardin, and others who participated in the summit that focused specifically on actions governments, non-governmental organizations, education institutions and the media can take to combat prejudice and promote tolerance. The summit was called by Smith and others in response to increasing instances of anti-Semitism in cities throughout The campaign against anti-Semitism and all forms of hatred must be a team effort in which all members are actively engaged. Summits like the recent session in
As a teenager, I met a man who told his story of horrific pain and his struggle to survive during the Holocaust. When the man rolled up his sleeve to show his concentration camp number I was numb, Smith said.
While at the Berlin Summit, Smith held up as an education model the state of
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For Immediate Release: May 18, 2004 Contact: Nick Manetto (202) 225-3765 |
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