ANNUAL REPORT 2010 Verd Yaş Respect o Birlikte Sejarah Diálog encia n Barış Kebenara Conviv Hoşgörü Dialog Paz Bilgi Berdampingan Tolerancia Saygı Conocimiento Kedamaian Tarih nce Respeto Toleransi n Gerçek Historia Pengetahua Diyalog ce Verdad e Respect o Birlikte edge Sejarah Diálog encia n Barış ct Kebenara Conviv Hoşgögö ry Dialog Paz Bilgi h Berdampingan Tolerancia Saygg ogue Conocimiento Kedamaian Tarr Respeto existence Toleransi n Gee Historia ace Pengetahua D Verdad olerance Respect o B Sejarah Diálog Knowledge n encia Kebenara Conviv Respect y Dialog Paz Histor Berdampingan Tolerancia o Truth Conocimiento Dialogue Kedamaian Respeto Coexistence Toleransi n Pengetahua Historia Peace dad Respect Ver Tolerance o Sejarah Diálog c Knowledge n enc Kebenara Conviv Respect y Dialog Paz Histor c Berdampingan Toleranc Truth m Conocim Dialogue Kedamaian t Respet Coexistence Toleransi n r Pengetahua Histor Peace a Respect Verda Tolerance o wledge Sejarah n Diálo ANNUAL REPORT 2010

The Aladdin Project

The Aladdin Project’s goal is to promote harmonious intercultural relations, particularly among Jews and , through dialogue, mutual respect, education and knowledge of History. Through its initiatives, it strives to reject denial and trivialization of , competing memories, anti- Semitism and all forms of racism, discrimination and exclusion. Patrons

Abdoualye Wade, President of the Republic of Senegal

Jacques Chirac, former President of the French Republic

HRH Prince Hassan of

Gerhard Schroeder, Former Chancellor of Germany

Sheikha Haya Al-Khalifa of

Ely Ould Mohammed Vall, Former President of Mauritania

Presidents

Anne-Marie Revcolevschi, President of the Aladdin Project (NGO)

David de Rothschild, President of the Aladdin Project Fund 5 Table Of Contents

President’s Letter page 7 Executive Director’s Message page 9 Year in Review page 11

• Raising awareness: Holocaust-related conferences in the page 12 Muslim world

• Reaching a broad audience: Use of the Internet, cinema and page 16 television to disseminate knowledge

• Reversing the trend: Countering denial and trivialization page 21

• Educating the young: The past, a bridge to the future page 25

• Media monitoring: Exposing purveyors of hate, encouraging page 28 voices of reason

• Finding partners: Development of our network page 29

Looking ahead page 33 Governance page 36 Financial Statements page 39 Recognition page 41 Annexes page 42 © Agnès Anne Agnès ©

President’s Letter Presenting this first Annual Report 2010 is an emotional moment for me. Indeed, the Aladdin Project, born under the auspices of the Foundation for the Memory of the Shoah and independent since late 2009, is a bold initiative: that of embarking on a long but absolutely necessary journey on an almost unbeaten track, fraught with risks, with no guarantee of success.

The field? The Arab-Muslim world, a universe into which I had not previously ventured.

The goal? To pass on the history of the Holocaust with rigor, refusing all denials, amalgams and trivializations, while respecting the memory of others. To reconnect the thread of coexistence between Muslims and Jews by teaching the centuries-long history, happy and violent, of their past relationships. Finally, to promote the values of mutual respect and dignity, opposing anti-Semitism, xenophobia and all forms of racism.

The method? Passing on knowledge of history and cultures to those who have no access to them. The means were self-evident: books, the Internet, art, meetings, discussions ... here ... there ... in the languages of those to whom we were reaching out. To this general framework, we had to add other key elements: finding enlightened partners among Muslims, Jews and others, attached to the same values and goals; and working with a competent team with diverse skills and cultures. And all this without complacence, without looking at the world through rose-tinted glasses, but with lucidity and by staying on course.

Presenting this first report is, I repeat, very emotional, because I think our approach hasbeen vindicated. I do not mean, of course, that in a year and a half, we have managed to achieve all the goals I have outlined, but because the various projects that we have completed and are briefly described in the following pages, represent the first successful steps in a medium and long-term strategy.

We have passed on, and we have received. We invited our interlocutors to come to us, and we went to them. We talked about books that speak of places, and we showed these places. We spoke the language of those we addressed, and they listened to us. We welcomed debate and did not shy away from confrontation: and every time we profited by learning how best to convey what we wanted to share. We thus established trust and partnership with more and more people, from all cultures and different countries. 7 With this confidence, this common conviction that we must act in the name of truth and justice, public and private institutions, intellectuals, politicians, men of faith, teachers and students came in ever increasing numbers, often with great courage, to join us or to encourage us. Their names are on the pages of this report or on our website. Today, in fact, the Aladdin Project is cited as an example in many national and international forums because of the bold, novel actions we are undertaking. Already affiliate organizations are being set up in the United States, Belgium, Spain, and Turkey by those who wish to expand and broaden our actions and their impact. We have also been asked to carry out projects in and , and to partner with others in the United Kingdom and the United States: more about this in the following pages. To all of them, I want to say thank you.

I also want to thank all members of our Board and all the different personalities who sit on the committees that nourish our efforts with their expert advice and sharp reflections. They have been indispensable to the success of our initiatives. And I am pleased that I have succeeded in bringing together an equal number of women and men, all of them of great quality.

Our thanks also go to the French Government, and in particular the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, for their support, and to UNESCO and in particular its Director General, Irena Bokova, for the trust they have placed in us.

Finally, I wish to thank our talented Executive Director, Abe Radkin, and his (too) small team, as well as my friends and volunteers, who have implemented the projects that were entrusted to them with such skill and dedication.

A note of concern: we have so far relied first and foremost on the generosity of several private foundations, particularly the French Foundation for the Memory of the Shoah and the Edmond J. Safra Philanthropic Foundation, but we need more financial resources to allow us to implement the important projects that have been proposed.

I must also point out that so far we have begun to pass on the knowledge of , its history and culture to the Arab and Muslim world because a state, Iran, and some extremist fringe in other countries, poison public opinion with their denial and anti-Semitic propaganda, the principal aim being to delegitimize the State of Israel, but also going as far as incitement to murder. We will, of course, continue. But in a world where ignorance is combined with Islamophobia, it is also necessary to pass on the knowledge of Islam, Muslim cultures and civilizations, and the history of countries that have a Muslim majority population. We have already begun to do so by explaining the fundamentals of Islam on our website. We do not seek here a cosmetic balance or a trivial reciprocity; we simply know that for dialogue, understanding and respect to take root, everyone must know the other in its truth and its own history.

I hope that reading our first annual report will give readers the desire to join us and help us... And if some of the projects completed or in progress give you new ideas, please share them with us.

Anne-Marie Revcolevschi

8 The Year that Showed the Way In many ways, 2010 was a decisive year for the Aladdin Project. Having experienced initial success the previous year with a high-profile launch conference and statements of support from prominent figures in the Muslim world, we were now stepping into unchartered territory by organizing ten Holocaust-related conferences across the Middle East and North Africa. In the early days of 2010, questions abounded: Would a virulent backlash dissuade Arab and Muslim personalities from cooperating with the Aladdin Project and “burn” it? How many books would be downloaded by Arab and Persian readers? How would Iranians react to Claude Lanzmann’s Shoah? And what if the Muslim personalities and leaders didn’t show up for the visit to Auschwitz?

We now know the answers to all these questions and you will find them on the pages of this report. They show that in the modern world of globalized communications a young organization with a small but highly motivated staff and a meagre budget can make a serious difference, if it has original ideas and connects the right dots. On the basis of these results, and judging by the growing number of proposals for cooperation we receive from individuals, institutions, international organizations and governments, I can safely say that the Aladdin Project has established itself as a credible platform and a facilitator of intercultural exchange and cooperation, particularly between Jews and Muslims.

All this would not have been possible, however, without the courage and commitment of our friends and partners across the Muslim world. We are also indebted to the generosity of our donors and the trust of our institutional partners, some of which, like the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, UNESCO and the City of Paris, took part in funding our joint activities, thus helping us implement projects that required far greater financial resources than that reflected on our balance sheet. These partners were actively involved in two projects that bore results in the early months of 2011: an international delegation’s visit to Auschwitz and the telecast of Claude Lanzmann’s Shoah in the Muslim world. We have decided to include them in this annual report, because in both cases the bulk of the preparations were undertaken in 2010.

As in any initiative that seeks to change deeply entrenched perceptions, our vision of a world free of the mistrust and the stereotypes that poison Jewish-Muslim relations today can only be realized in the long term, but 2010 showed the scope of the achievable. In January 2010, the main challenge was to find the right way. Now, with a number of innovative projects in the pipeline, it’s about finding the means. That, in itself, is an important step forward.

Abe Radkin • Executive Director

9

YEAR IN REVIEW Raising awareness: Holocaust-related conferences in the Muslim world

In January and February 2010, the Aladdin Despite the dire predictions, however, the Project, in partnership with the French Ministry conferences took place as planned and reached of Foreign Affairs, organized a series of public their objectives: breaking a taboo and explaining lectures on the Holocaust in the Middle East the specific nature of the Holocaust. About 1,500 and North Africa with several objectives: Firstly, intellectuals, academics, historians, human rights familiarize a broader public in Muslim-majority activists, teachers and students participated in societies with Holocaust history. Secondly, the ten events and listened to speeches by 50 encourage face-to-face dialogue and discussion Holocaust historians, literary experts, Aladdin between Jews and Muslims, particularly in Project board members, as well as Arab and places where once-thriving Jewish communities Muslim intellectuals and historians. At every have all but disappeared whereas anti-Semitic conference, a couple of chapters of Primo stereotypes abound, and thirdly, create a Levi’s book were read out in (Turkish network of intellectuals, academics and young in Istanbul) and presentations were followed people in each city. by debates where the panelists responded to questions ranging from Jewish resistance during The events, entitled “Reading Primo Levi,” the Holocaust to the position of Arab leaders focused on the Arabic, Turkish and Persian and individuals during that period. Interestingly, translations of the Italian author and survivor’s there were few questions about the Arab-Israeli book, If This Is a Man, and took place in Cairo, conflict. Tunis, Rabat, Casablanca, Istanbul, Amman, Baghdad, Erbil, Nazareth and Jerusalem on Three factors were crucial in assuring the or around January 27, the anniversary of the successful outcome of the conferences: liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, designated by the United Nations General Assembly as • The unambiguous and courageous stance International Holocaust Remembrance Day. of the Arab and Muslim panelists who vehe- mently denounced and trivia- Prior to the events, certain diplomats and lization and rejected any parallels with other experts had expressed serious misgivings, issues, including the Arab-Israeli conflict; given the long-standing taboo surrounding the • The intellectual quality and clarity of the his- Holocaust across the Arab world, where for long torians and literary experts who travelled to decades it has often been denied, minimized or these cities from Europe; perceived as a “pretext” for the creation of the • And, of course, the diplomatic and logistical State of Israel. Complicating the situation was support of the French Ministry of Foreign Af- the heightened state of tension in the region in fairs and French cultural centres and institutes the aftermath of the Israeli military operations in the Middle East and North Africa. in Gaza. 12 Measuring impact

Beyond the fulfilment of the three initial objectives of the project – familiarizing a broader Muslim public with Holocaust history, promoting a frank dialogue between Jews and Muslims, and creating a network of supporters – other outcomes of the events were as follows:

• The relatively extensive media coverage of the events, particularly in the Arab world, was such that Aljazeera television devoted a live prime- time debate program with three Arab commen- tators entitled, “Scope of the debate about the “Reading Primo Levi” Aladdin Project.” As a result, while 1,500 people conferences in numbers: took part in the conferences, millions across the Muslim world were informed of them. •10 cities, 14 events • In one country – – the conference triggered a public debate after André Azoulay, in • 50 panelists from 12 nations pointing out the courageous stance of Moham- med V against the Vichy regime’s impositions • More than 1,500 people attended against his Jewish subjects, proposed that Holo- caust education be introduced in the country’s (including 10 parliamentarians and universities. Several editorialists and NGOs, ministers,12 university presidents including the “Collectif Modernité et Démocra- and deans, 19 ambassadors, 35 tie” argued in favor of the proposal and also bloggers) called for the history of the Moroccan Jewish community to be taught to young students. • 450 paperback copies of "If This Is • The presence of many young bloggers and a Man" were distributed or sold social activists resulted in a flurry of blogs, commentaries and debates on the Internet that • The conferences were covered by: continued for several weeks after the events. Some of the commentators repeated the old 7 TV stations (including Aljazeera anti-Semitic and Holocaust denying clichés, but and France 24 Arabic) interestingly they were challenged by many of their peers who, while not well-informed, •15 radio stations showed an interest in that period of history. • The events allowed the Aladdin Project to conso- • 6 news agencies lidate its network of intellectuals, historians, aca- demics and young activists in different countries. • 85 newspaper articles Moreover, many of the Arab and Turkish panelists, having been among the first to sup- port the Aladdin Project after its official launch in • 32 blogs March 2009, became the key points of reference in their countries for our subsequent initiatives. • 1,200 comments posted • The conferences and the resulting media on Arabic-language websites coverage increased our website’s traffic, with a 30% rise in the number of visitors to our multilingual website in February, while more 13 than 1,000 books were downloaded from the Panelists online library during the same month, higher than the other months of the year. • Cairo • One initial concern – that an avalanche of media Intellectuals Aly El-Samman and Tarek Heggy, and political attacks in reaction to the events Ambassador Jean-Felix Paganon, poetess Hala would make it impossible for Arab intellectuals Aziz, Anne-Marie Revcolevschi, Serge Klarsfeld and and personalities to continue to work with the professor of literature Philippe Mesnard Aladdin Project - never materialized. Negative backlash was in fact restricted to Hamas, • Tunis and a few ultranationalist fringe Jacques Andréani, Serge Klarsfeld, literary expert groups, who predictably labelled the Aladdin Anny Dayan-Rosenman, Ambassador Pierre Menat, Project as a “Zionist” initiative and described historian Mohammed Fantar, commentator Ftouh the conferences as “an attempt to overshadow Souhail the Goldstone report”! • Many ideas and suggestions were put forward • Istanbul by the Muslim participants in the conferences. Claude Lanzmann, intellectual Cengiz Aktar, One general comment made in almost every historians Jean-François Forge, Ilber Ortayli, Nora meeting was that the younger generations Seni and Naim Güleryüz, Ambassador Bernard were totally unaware of the centuries-long Emié, Israeli Consul General Moshe Kamhi presence of Jewish communities in these countries. Once we recognized the need • Baghdad for accurate, easy-to-read history books Serge Klarsfeld, Abe Radkin, Ambassadors François on this subject, a new project was launched Zimeray and Boris Boillon, Prof. Adel Al-Kayar (See “Shared Histories” project on p. 26) • Erbil To conclude, these conferences challenged a Serge Klarsfeld, historian Kamel Mudher, intellectual decades-long taboo surrounding the Holocaust Hussein Sinjari, French Consul General Frederic Tissot in Arab societies, making it easier for intellectuals and young activists alike to express themselves • Rabat openly on the subject and paving the way for André Azoulay, philosopher Abdou Filali-Ansary, other activities and initiatives of this nature historian Jamaa Baida, intellectual Driss Khrouz, in these countries. After the conferences, the Ambassador Bruno Joubert, Anne-Marie Aladdin Project consolidated its network of Revcolevschi, historian Joel Kotek, literary expert contacts in each of the cities. Many of the Arab Luba Jurgenson and Muslim personalities who took part in the conferences later accepted our invitation to visit • Amman Auschwitz on February 1, 2011. Serge Klarsfeld, Abe Radkin, intellectuals Amira Others continued to work with us on the Mostafa and Oreib Rantawi, Ambassador Corinne development of new projects and joined the Breuzé, Israeli Ambassador Dani Nevo different committees of the Aladdin Project. • Nazareth and Jerusalem Anne-Marie Revcolevschi, Jean Mouttapa, historians François Lafon and Joseph Chetrit, Prof. Mohammed Dajani, intellectual Khalid Kasab, French Consul General Jean-Christian Coppin

• Casablanca Joel Kotek, Luba Jurgenson, French Consul General Pierre Voillery 14 15 Reaching a broad audience: Use of the Internet, cinema and television to disseminate knowledge To reach out to the unreachable, to allow vast As part of the Aladdin Project’s mission to pro- swathes of populations in the Middle East, Asia mote mutual knowledge, a brief guide to the and Africa who have no access to reliable infor- history, liturgy and practices of Islam for non- mation in their own mass media, particularly Muslims, validated by the eminent Moroccan when the subject has anything to do with Jews scholar, Professor Abdou Filali-Ansary, has been or the Holocaust, is an important part of our added to the website. mission. The increasing penetration of the Inter- net and satellite television in these societies is A new feature of the website is "Different radically changing the picture, making it possible Voices, One Future,” a series of podcasts in for the first time in generations to break the which people with different cultural, social and walls of censorship and disinformation. religious perspectives in Europe, Africa and the Middle East express their views on anti-Semi- A multilingual website tism, racism and intercultural relations. A dozen of these podcasts are already online. - www.projetaladin.org - After the posting of the new site in September, From the very beginning, the Aladdin Project we received 934 new applications for subscrip- made the Internet a primary tool in its strategy tion to our newsletter, which is now distributed by setting up a multilingual website in English, to a list of 7,000 emails in French and 3,000 in French, Arabic, Persian and Turkish that was English. In 2010, we received 683 messages of launched in 2009 to offer simple and accurate encouragement or queries from site visitors. information on the Holocaust and Jewish reli- gion, history and culture, as well as a briefer on The multilingual website received an average Islam and the history of Jewish-Muslim relations of 13,000 visits per month in 2010. Turkey, in different countries. Iran, Morocco, , the United States, France, Canada, Algeria, and Saudi Arabia had In 2010, in response to readers’ comments the highest number of visitors during the year. and to facilitate access to the growing body of 67.81% were new visitors and 32.19% had materials being constantly added, the multilin- visited the website before. The fact that almost gual website had to undergo a radical reorga- a third of visitors returned to the website shows nization and was re-launched in September: that the content was relevant to them. Visitors a new homepage includes the presentation of spent an average of 4 minutes 22 seconds to our organization, activities and news with links to view the information. Aladdin Online Library and historical databases. 16 The main sources of traffic were search engines Treblinka (1942-1943) by Chil Rajchman (Les (70.83%), referring sites (19.25%) and direct Arènes), The Final Solution: A Genocide by traffic (9.92%). This meant that the website Donald Bloxham (Oxford University Press) was well referenced in search tools. The traffic and The Holocaust: Impossible to Forget by from social networking websites – Facebook Anne Grynberg (Gallimard), as well as the first in particular – showed an upward trend in the volume of The destruction of European Jews by closing months of the year, but much work Raul Hilberg (Holmes & Meier). remained to be done to raise the Aladdin The books have been chosen by the Book Com- Project’s profile in the social networking media. mittee of the Aladdin Project, chaired by editor It must be added that no advertising campaign and publisher Jean Mouttapa. Other members has yet been launched. of the committee include historians Henry Rousso and Joel Kotek, Lebanese author Djénane Kareh Tager, sociologist and scholar Joseph Maila, Aladdin Online Library philosopher Jean-François Colosimo, who is also - wwww.aladdinlibrary.org - President of France’s National Centre for Books, and Moroccan author Rachid Benzine. The Aladdin Project’s online library was the first digital library in Arabic and Persian that offered The books will be added to the library in 2011 subscribers free access to e-books on the basis once the long process of obtaining paper and of special arrangements with publishers, fully digital rights from the publishers has been respecting authors’ moral rights and royalties. completed. The paperback editions will be By the end of 2010, 19,643 copies of Primo launched at the National Library of France and Levi’s If This Is a Man, Anne Frank’s Diary of a the Frankfurt International Book Fair. Young Girl, Shlomo Venezia’s Sonderkomman- do and Philippe Burrin’s Hitler and the Jews The online library received an average of 2,300 – all translated into Arabic and Persian for the visits in 2010, the countries with the largest first time by the Aladdin Project and published number of visitors being Egypt, Iran, Algeria, in partnership with Editions le Manuscrit, had Morocco, Saudi Arabia, the United States, France, been downloaded by subscribers around the Jordan, the Palestinian Territories and Britain. world. The books are currently being offered by 87.02% were new visitors and 12.98% had at least 40 online libraries in Persian and Arabic. visited the website before. The main sources of traffic were: 60.17% from referring sites, 31.26% In 2010, ten more books (five in Arabic, five from search engines and 8.57% direct traffic. in Persian) were translated: Shoah by Claude The majority of visitors were directed from Lanzmann (Fayard), I Am the Last Jew – Facebook and other social networking websites.

Aladdin Online Library A Web site in 5 languages

www.aladdinlibrary.org www.projetaladin.org 17 10 New books of the Aladdin Library :

The Arabic version of books by Raul Hilberg, Anne Grynberg and Claude Lanzmann and the Persian version of books by Daniel Bloxham and Chil Rajchman

18 Cinema and television: Telecast of Claude Lanzmann’s Shoah subtitled in Persian, Turkish and Arabic

The work that began in 2009 with translation of books expanded in 2010 to include cinema and television, media that exert a rapidly growing influence in the Arab and Muslim world, where satellite television stations have in recent years broken the traditional state monopoly over broadcasting.

The Aladdin Project subtitled the film "Shoah" by Claude Lanzmann in its entirety (over 9 hours and 30 minutes) in Arabic, Persian and Turkish. In September 2010, we acquired exclusive rights for the Arabic, Persian and Turkish versions of the film. We then entered protracted discussions with several television stations to have the film shown for audiences in Iran, Turkey and the Arab world. On March 7, 2011, Iranians were able to watch, Shoah shown in Iran 26 years after its creation, "Shoah" subtitled in Farsi and telecast in Iran via the satellite channel Pars. Pars TV presenter Alireza Meybodi called For Iran, we reached an agreement with Pars the telecast of Shoah in Persian an "historic satellite channel broadcasting from Los Angeles, moment.” In his introduction prior to the start to show the entire film in one-hour segments of the first episode, the presenter described starting on March 7, 2011. Pars TV was the first Holocaust denial as “a scourge that has nothing major Iranian satellite television broadcasting to do with the great culture and civilization of from abroad and is widely regarded as having a Iran.” large audience inside the country. The launch was marked by a conference at UNESCO in Paris in the presence of its Director General, , French Minister of Culture Frédéric Mitterrand, Aladdin Project president Anne-Marie Revcolevschi and Claude Lanzmann.

More than four hundred personalities, intellectuals, writers, ambassadors, senior government officials, editors and journalists were present to watch live the first episode of the film subtitled in Farsi and broadcast in Iran. 19 The projection was followed by a panel a film like Shoah, because since 2005 denial discussion moderated by journalist Philippe or trivialization of the Holocaust have been a Dessaint with Claude Lanzmann, Anne-Marie recurring theme in the state-run press and Revcolevschi, Iranian sociologist and writer media, at the same time arousing the curiosity Chahla Chafiq, Ambassador for Human Rights and interest of those who have never had the Francois Zimeray, Ladan Boroumand from the possibility of watching exceptional testimonies Foundation for Human Rights in Iran, historian on the facts of the Holocaust. The panelists’ Alexandre Adler and Iranian journalist and viewpoint was later validated by television author, Nasser Etemadi. viewers’ comments reaching Pars TV, as well as the angry reaction of the Iranian government The Iranian panelists pointed out that in their (see box). view many in Iran would be interested to watch Shoah subtitled in Turkish Impact of Shoah’s In Turkey, Ibrahim Sahin, CEO of the country’s telecast in Iran: state television, TRT, accepted our request to telecast the full nine-and-a-half version of Shoah, 1. For the first time since 2006, when the subtitled in Turkish, in October 2011. Iranian President organized an “international conference” of Holocaust deniers in Tehran, The Aladdin Project organized the screening of the Iranian public had the possibility of Shoah subtitled in Turkish at Istanbul Interna- watching exceptional testimonies on the tional Film Festival in the presence of Claude facts of the Holocaust.. Lanzmann. In an exceptional arrangement, the

full version of the film was screened on three 2. Pars TV received 900 phone calls and 2000 occasions. The event was covered by leading emails from viewers in Iran after the broad- Turkish newspapers including Hurriyet, Milliyet, cast of Shoah. Sabah and Radikal. At the beginning of the first screening, Lanzmann made a speech about the 3. All major Persian media outside Iran (with film and the next day he gave a two-hour "mas- big audiences inside Iran) reported the ter class" before an audience of young directors event: Voice of America Farsi TV, BBC Persian, and producers. The session was moderated by Deutsche Welle Persian, RFI Persian, Radio the star presenter for the Turkish channel 24. Liberty, Al-Arabiya Farsi. Turkish director Dervis Zaim told the Turkish 4. More than 300 articles and dispatches in press that watching Shoah in the 1980s had state-run news agencies, newspapers and such a profound impact on him that he decided radio and television denounced the tele- to become a director. cast as “Israeli propaganda” and attacked the Aladdin Project as “a Zionist entity.” The Shoah in Arabic Islamic Republic usually maintains silence on such issues and its strong reaction showed that the telecast had an impact on certain An agreement with the Cairo-based Egyptian sections of the population. TV channel, Al-Mehwar, to broadcast Shoah in July 2011 was postponed indefinitely after 5. Dozens of websites in Persian, representing a the political upheaval in the country. Several wide range of opinions, reported the event. other Arabic television broadcasters have been contacted and one, the Dubai-based Al-Hurra 6. "Shoah" being shown in Iran was covered in TV, has accepted to broadcast the film. Talks are more than 300 articles in France and abroad. ongoing to organize a telecast in autumn 2011. 20 Reversing the trend: Countering denial and trivialization © Erez Lichtfeld

The core mission of the Aladdin Project has continue to propagate anti-Semitism and deny, been, from its very inception, to promote trivialize or invert the Holocaust. In addition to awareness of Holocaust history in the Arab and our other activities described elsewhere in this Muslim world not only to counter denial and report, we worked on two specific actions in trivialization, but also to encourage a deeper 2010 to counter this trend: understanding of the evils of fascist, anti-Semitic and racist ideologies and regimes. • Organize a high-profile visit to Auschwitz by an international delegation that would also Since 2005, Iran alone has published more than include senior political, religious and civil so- 330 virulently anti-Semitic and Holocaust denial ciety representatives from across the Muslim books in Persian, Arabic, Urdu and other Muslim world (The visit itself took place on February world languages. Egyptian, Lebanese (Hezbollah) 1, 2011). and Syrian television stations, Jordanian • Bring to bear diplomatic pressure on govern- bookshops, book fairs in different Middle Eastern ments that allow the distribution of Holocaust capitals and many Arabic-language newspapers denial literature in book fairs, etc. 21 Visit to Auschwitz of an International dignitaries included Asha-Rose Migiro, Deputy Secretary-General of the United international delegation Nations representing Ban Ki-moon, former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder, the former Presidents of Croatia, Mauritania and Benin, Stepjan Mesic, Ely Ould Mohamed Vall and Nicephore Soglo, and President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Mevlut Cavusoglu. Also present were special envoys and representatives of Heads of State and Government of , France, Israel, USA, Russia,

© Erez Lichtfeld Turkey, Morocco, Jordan, and the mayors of Paris, Madrid, Bucharest, Erbil (Iraq), Rabat, Casa- blanca, Fez, Meknes (Morocco), Libreville (Ga- bon), Cotonou (Benin), Sarajevo, Ouagadougou An unprecedented visit to Auschwitz by more (Burkina Faso) and Bamako (Mali). than 200 leaders and personalities from the Middle East, Africa, Asia, America and Europe – The delegation included political, religious and the majority of whom came from Muslim nations intellectual figures from Britain, France, Germany, – was intended to send a strong message: the Iraq, Iran, Israel, Jordan, Morocco, Pakistan, Iranian President and other Holocaust deniers Palestine, Poland, Romania, Spain, Tunisia, Turkey in the Muslim world do not speak in the name and the United States. (See Annex for the full list.) of all Muslims. Holocaust denial in the 21st century is intolerable and Muslims, like other After a tour of Birkenau extermination members of the global community, have every camp, along with ten survivors who came to right and duty to participate in its United share their experiences, delegation members Nations-designated commemoration. gathered at the International Monument for an ecumenical ceremony of Jewish, Christian and When the visit took place on February 1, at the Muslim prayers. The prayers were led by former joint invitation of the Aladdin Project, UNESCO Chief Rabbi Israel Meir Lau, Cardinal André and the City of Paris, the message could not Vingt-Trois, Archbishop of Paris, and Dr. Mustafa have been clearer. On the eve of the visit, Presi- Ceric, Grand Mufti of Bosnia. The visit came to dent Abdoulaye Wade of Senegal, Chairman of a conclusion with a landmark speech by Samuel the Islamic Conference Organization, declared Pisar in the name of all the survivors. at a press conference hosted by Paris Mayor Bertrand Delanoe: “I cut short my participation Many personalities who could not join the at the African Summit to be with you on this international delegation sent messages of historic visit, because the worst attitude is one solidarity, among them Prince Hassan of Jordan, of doing nothing and waiting, in the hope that the Grand Mufti of Egypt Dr. Ali Goma'a, the things will sort themselves out.” Grand Sheikh of Al-Azhar Dr. Ahmed Al- Tayeb, the Grand Mufti of the Caucasus Sheikh The international delegation to Auschwitz was Allahshukur Pashazada, and the Mayor of Berlin led by Anne-Marie Revcolevschi, President Klaus Wowereit. of the Aladdin Project, David de Rothschild, President of the Aladdin Project Fund, Irina Bokova, Director General of UNESCO, and Bertrand Delanoe, Mayor of Paris.

22 To conclude, the visit to Auschwitz has:

• Sent a resounding message by Muslim leaders and personalities to Holocaust deniers in the © Erez L ichtfeld Muslim world: Not in our name!

• Provided an opportunity for a group of Muslim leaders and intellectuals to become acquainted with the specific nature of the Holocaust. All, in their own way and according International delegation’s to the specific condition in their societies, visit to Auschwitz: have reaffirmed their willingness to work with the Aladdin Project on these issues. What results? • In an important breakthrough, the visit and • In countries like Turkey, significantly raised commemoration of Jewish victims of the public awareness of the Holocaust as a result Holocaust received the public blessing of of extensive media coverage and articles by four major figures in Sunni and Shiite worlds: opinion makers. the Grand Muftis of Egypt, Bosnia and the Caucasus, and the President of Al-Azhar • Five years after the conference of Holocaust University in Cairo. deniers in Tehran, created a new point of • 50 journalists were present in Auschwitz: reference regarding Muslim attitudes towards more than 1,000 articles in the world press the Holocaust. about the visit. • Turkey: 25 editorials and op-ed articles • Opened the door to numerous new by participants in the visit. Sami Herman, opportunities for joint projects and initiatives President of Turkish Jewish Community, in with the Muslim and non-Muslim participants letter to Aladdin Project President: “These in the visit. articles have had an enormous effect of raising public awareness and educating the Among the 19 proposals received from these Turkish public about the Holocaust.” personalities after the visit, one can cite the first • Morocco: 30 newspaper articles quoting Mo- that are being put into action: the suggestion roccan personalities who took part in the visit. by Alberto Ruiz-Gallardon, Mayor of Madrid, to • President Wade and Mayors of four African co-organize a conference in autumn 2011 in cities (Libreville, Cotonou, Ouagadougou and Madrid to present the Aladdin Project and Bamako) issued press releases about the launch the "Spanish Friends of the Aladdin visit to Auschwitz. Wade’s statement read on Project" in the context of a conference on Dakar radio and TV. the role of Spain during the Second World • Participants in the visit submitted to the War and the history of the three cultures in Aladdin Project 19 proposals for joint projects that country, or the proposal by Enver Yucel, and activities in their respective countries. President of Bahcesehir Istanbul University, to • Examples of post-visit initiatives: Prof. host a conference in October 2011 on the role Mohammed Dajani has started taking groups of German Jewish academics who took refuge of students from Al-Quds University on visits in Turkey in the 1930s in the construction of to . Ahmed Dizaei, President of modern universities in that country. Erbil University, addressed a conference of educators in Iraq about his visit. 23 Curbing Holocaust Cairo International Book Fair, we raised the issue with the then Deputy Minister of Culture denial in book fairs Hossam Nassar. We were informed that the government had taken precautions to ensure The Aladdin Project regularly monitors the that such books as the Protocols or Mein Kampf Middle East’s biggest book fairs – those of Cairo would not be displayed at the fair. and Tehran – and draws up lists of anti-Semitic and Holocaust denial books on display. Other To verify, we visited the fair and discovered that, book fairs in the Middle East – including Beirut compared with 2009, the situation had indeed and Abu-Dhabi, which are rising in importance improved and only a few Islamist books that – also routinely display such books. contained virulently anti-Semitic themes and materials were on display. But when we asked We first approached the French ministries three different stall holders for the Protocols in of Foreign Affairs and Culture with a draft Arabic, all of them were able to produce copies resolution calling on all Member States of the of the book instantly from under the counter. Union for the Mediterranean to ban such books from their book fairs. On our return to Paris, we raised the issue with officials of the Union for the Mediterranean, We also presented the draft resolution to Euro- who promised to follow up. Soon afterwards, Mediterranean Ministers of Culture and the however, the UPM became effectively paralyzed Euro-Mediterranean Ministers of Foreign Affairs. as a result of political disagreements among While European delegations and even some of Member States. the Arab delegations showed an interest in the subject, the resolution was derailed in the face With the changing political situation in Egypt, we of strong opposition by Syria. We continue to continue to focus on this issue, working in liaison pursue this issue in contacts with governments with the French government’s ambassador on and international organizations. anti-Semitism issues, Francois Zimeray, and the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chair- In February 2010, on the sidelines of our in-Office on combating anti-Semitism, Andrew conference in Cairo, which coincided with the Baker.

24 Educating the young: The past, a bridge to the future

While any result-oriented strategy that seeks Teaching students in the to counter anti-Semitism, racism, bigotry and conflicts of memory must strike a balance Arab world about between short-term priorities and long-term the Holocaust objectives, we are in no doubt that education and long-term changes in the perceptions of In February 2010, a series of lectures were given people are the only lasting solutions to these for high school students in Tunis and Casablanca problems. by two historians, Serge Klarsfeld and Joel Kotek, professor at Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), That’s why education, transmission of and two literary experts, Anny Dayan-Rosenman knowledge and information in Arabic, Persian and Luba Jurgenson, Senior Lecturers at Univer- and Turkish on Jewish religion, culture and sity of Paris VII (Diderot) and IV (the Sorbonne) history and also about the centuries-long respectively. shared history of Jews and Muslims living together in different parts on the Muslim This pilot experiment allowed us to analyse the world, lie at the heart of the Aladdin Project. perception of high school students in these two cities towards the Jews in general and the Holo- In 2010, we embarked on the following educa- caust in particular and identify possible methods tional initiatives: of training. Discussions with the teachers proved to be of great interest and highly informative. • Four lectures by Holocaust historians for a total of 900 pupils studying in schools run The objective of this pilot experiment was to by the French government in Morocco and acquire an understanding of the perceptions of Tunisia, Jews in general and the Holocaust in particular among high school students in the two cities and • Production of a series of history books on identify effective methods of educating students Jewish-Muslim relations in 12 countries of in this age group in Morocco and Tunisia about Africa, Asia and Europe, the Holocaust and Jewish-Muslim relations. • Discussions with London University for the Admittedly Arab students studying in French launch of an online MA degree on Jewish- high schools in Tunis and Casablanca do not Muslim relations that would be available to represent all the Tunisians and Moroccans belon- students around the world. ging to the same age group, but the exchanges with the speakers proved to be lively and unin- hibited, the young students showing a thirst for 25 “Shared Histories” authors: information. Students’ reactions to the lectures in both cities were broadly similar. Many showed a 1. Morocco: genuine curiosity about Holocaust history, espe- Mohammed Kenbib, Professor and cially when it touched their own country as was Director of Research at Mohamed V the case with the short-lived Nazi occupation of University in Rabat Tunisia and Vichy government pressures on the Moroccan ruler, Mohammed V. A short film by 2. Tunisia: William Karel about Primo Levi was shown to Abdelkrim Allaghi, Professor at the complement the lectures. University of Tunis In the questions and answers sessions that fol- 3. Algeria: lowed, many students asked questions about Lucette Valensi, Professor at the EHESS the Holocaust, the relations between Jews and Muslims and the Arab-Israeli conflict. While the 4. Spain: questions showed the students’ interest in these Mercedes Garcia-Arenal, Director of Research CCHS-CSIC (Madrid) issues, they also revealed an almost total lack of knowledge of historical facts concerning that period of history. In discussions with the panelists 5. Egypt: Gudrun Kraemer, Program Director of after the lectures, teachers pointed out that the Islamic Studies at the Free University curricula included nothing about the centuries- of Berlin long history of Jewish communities in these two countries. 6. Syria-: Tarif al-Khalidi, Professor at American University of Beirut (tbc) Collection of 12 books on the history of Jews 7. Israel-Palestine: Amnon Cohen, Professor Emeritus at in Muslim lands the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Mohammed Dajani Daoudi, As mentioned before, many intellectuals and Professor at the University of Al-Quds teachers we met in different Muslim countries underlined the need for educational books 8. Iraq: on the history of Jewish communities in these Orit Bashkin, professor countries. In response, we launched the project at the University of Chicago “Shared Histories” in 2010 with the objective of producing a collection of books on the history of 9. Yemen: Jewish communities in 12 countries. The books Yossi Tobi, Professor Emeritus will be in Arabic, Turkish, Persian, English and at the University of Haifa French. 10. Turkey: Gilles Veinstein, Professor The books, primarily aimed at high school at College de France teachers and, more generally, a broad reading public, will be written in simple style. The 11. Iran-Afghanistan: collection will be available in digital form from the Darioush Shayegan, philosopher Aladdin Online Library and will be co-published and author (Iran) in paperback with French publishers and editors recognized in the Arab-Muslim world, to ensure 12. India-Pakistan: the widest possible distribution. The books are Yulia Egorova, lecturer, due to be published in 2012 and 2013. 26 University of Durham A scientific committee composed of eminent Online degree from London historians and experts, chaired by Professor Abdou Filali-Ansary, oversees the production of University on Jewish-Muslim this collection. Series director is historian Michel relations Abitbol. Committee members include: To encourage the younger generations in the • Lucette Valensi, historian, director of education Arab world, in Israel, in Iran, in Turkey and emeritus, EHESS elsewhere, to learn more about the long history of Jewish-Muslim relations, the Aladdin Project • Gilles Veinstein, professor of Ottoman and entered discussions with leaders of the London Turkish History at the College de France University’s School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) to start an online Master of Arts • Kazdaghli Habib, Professor of Contemporary degree course on the history of Jewish-Muslim History, University of Tunis-Manouba relations.

• Tudor Parfitt, professor of Modern Jewish The course is particularly designed for students Studies, SOAS, University of London of political and social sciences, but suitable also for professionals whose work involves or is affected • Darioush Shayegan, Iranian philosopher and by intercultural and Jewish-Muslim relations writer or the Arab-Israeli conflict. Following initial discussions, Aladdin Project president Anne- • Ilber Ortayli, historian, President of the Topkapi Marie Revcolevschi; Prof. Abdou Filali-Ansary, Museum in Istanbul president of our Academic Committee, and Executive Director Abe Radkin held meetings in As part of our education strategy, the production London in November 2010 with SOAS Director of these books will go hand in hand with our Prof. Paul Webley and Prof. Tudor Parfitt to launch efforts to work with educational authorities this course and ultimately set up an Aladdin in countries where large Jewish communities Centre for Jewish-Muslim Studies. The Dean, Dr. once existed (or continue to exist) to study Anne Pauwels, is leading the preparatory stages the modalities of including the history of these and feasibility studies of the project. communities in school curriculum. The French government has already indicated its willingness The choice of SOAS for the program was based to work with us on this project, for which we on its significant experience with and expertise in will also be seeking UNESCO’s partnership the development of distance learning programs, as the UN agency entrusted with the task of as well as the various disciplines of Jewish studies implementing General Assembly Resolution A/ and Islamic studies. Res./53/243 on the culture of peace education.

The resolution encourages Member States to educate the younger generations about the ethnic and religious minorities in their respective countries. Despite the current turmoil in parts of the Arab world, we hope to be able, in coordination with the educational authorities of these countries, to make a contribution over the next few years to the introduction of the history of these Jewish minorities in the curricula and complement it with teacher training courses. 27 Media monitoring: Exposing purveyors of hate, encouraging voices of reason

We continue on a regular basis our monitoring Culture, pointing out that the exhibition of the Arabic and Persian-language media to made an unacceptable amalgam between the focus attention not only on examples of Holo- Holocaust and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. caust denial and anti-Semitism, but also highlight The Deputy Minister of Culture of Egypt sub- articles or reports that seek to encourage bet- sequently informed us that his government ter relations and understanding among Muslims refused to authorize the exhibition and that it and Jews. We give priority to the translation of did not take place. articles and statements that have policy conse- quences or exert an influence on a large section • On December 12, 2010, Jordanian journalist of the population, and we try to take appro- Riad Mansour "revealed" in the Arabic daily priate action where possible. Here are examples Ad-Dustour that some private schools in of our monitoring and consequent actions in Jordan were using a history textbook which 2010: contained a chapter on The Diary of Anne Frank and the history of the Holocaust. The • David de Rothschild, President of the French case immediately became political and the Foundation for the Memory of the Shoah and government banned the use of this book in President of the Aladdin Project Fund, sent schools. We alerted the Anne Frank Founda- a letter to Education Minister of the UAE tion and sought the intervention of Jordan's through Alain Azouaou, Ambassador of France Ambassador in Paris, Ms. Dina Kawar, and the to the UAE, following an announcement in Ambassador of France to Amman, Ms. Co- January 2010 in the daily Al-Ittihad that the rinne Breuzé. government of UAE had formally banned the use of Elie Wiesel’s Night in private schools. • After compiling a detailed list of more than The Embassy of France in Abu Dhabi conti- 160 anti-Semitic books on display at Tehran In- nues to follow up the case with the objective ternational Book Fair in May 2010, we sent the of organizing, in 2011, a conference for Elie list to the United Nations Secretary General Wiesel in Abu-Dhabi in partnership with the and other international organizations and our Aladdin Project. press release was covered in the American, European and Israeli press. • In April 2010, following the publication of an advertisement on the website of the Mus- lim Brotherhood in Egypt for an exhibition entitled "Palestinian Holocaust" in a theatre in Cairo, we contacted the Egyptian Ambas- sador in Paris and the Egyptian Ministry of 28 Finding partners: development of our network

The year 2010 was a year of consolidation of our invited representatives of the Aladdin Project to network and establishment of durable working present their experiences in raising Holocaust relationships with universities, academic centres awareness in non-Western populations at a and NGOs that share our interests and goals. The seminar entitled, “Challenges of Holocaust conferences in the ten cities of the Middle East education.” The meeting took place at the and North Africa provided a unique opportunity Belgian Parliament on March 26, 2010. to develop our ties with a large spectrum of intellectuals, academics, human and civil rights European Muslims' Perceptions activists and NGOs in each country. We also of the Holocaust: established formal ties with supranational Organized by the French research institute institutions such as the International Task Force CNRS and the Berlin-based International Ins- for Holocaust Education and the Anna Lindh titute for Education and Research on Anti-Se- Foundation and participated in their conferences mitism, the two-day international conference in and forums. Paris focused on how Muslims in Europe view the Holocaust and reviewed approaches to Holocaust Education Holocaust education for European Muslims. Jean Mouttapa, chairman of the Book Committee, described how the lessons drawn from the acti- International Task Force (ITF): vities of the Aladdin Project could be applied to The Aladdin Project became a member of the the European context to familiarize young Mus- "Task Force for International Cooperation on lims in Europe with the history of the Holocaust. Holocaust Education, Remembrance and Re- search" (ITF) in 2010. Abe Radkin represented the Aladdin Project at the ITF conference in Intercultural dialogue Jerusalem in June 2010. ITF is an intergovern- mental body whose purpose is to place poli- Anna Lindh Forum: tical and social leaders' support behind the The forum brought together over 500 repre- need for Holocaust education, remembrance, sentatives of NGOs and civil society from 43 and research both nationally and internationally. countries in Barcelona in March 2010 to dis- The Task Force currently has 28 Member States. cuss and develop actions to promote dialogue, The Aladdin Project seeks to encourage govern- mutual understanding and peace. The organizers ments in the Arab and Muslim world to join the of the forum, a gathering of civil society actors ITF, where Turkey currently has observer status. to promote intercultural action throughout the Mediterranean region, included the presenta- Seminar on Holocaust education tion of the Aladdin Project in the program. Well- in : known French journalist Caroline Fourest, who The European Centre for the Study of Racism chaired the workshop on intercultural dialogue, (CEESAG), a Brussels-based organization, praised the Aladdin Project before giving the 29 floor to the representative of the organization, tions and Yael Habif, director of international re- Abe Radkin, to present the project and answer lations and representatives of the Aladdin Pro- the questions of participants from Jordan, Egypt, ject in January 2010, the university proposed a UAE, Israel, Morocco and Tunisia. Many of them partnership with the Aladdin Project in the area asked to be kept informed of the activities of of education, conference organization and joint the Aladdin Project. academic activities. Bahcesehir University has been involved in the Aladdin Project’s ongoing Meeting at UNESCO: discussions with the Turkish authorities to intro- The Aladdin Project was presented in Septem- duce Holocaust education and include books ber to a delegation of Israeli and Palestinian on the history of the Turkish Jewish community teenagers, aged 15 to 18, from Ramallah, Gaza, in the school curriculum. As part of this coope- Lod, Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, who were visiting ration, the Aladdin Project and the University of Paris at the invitation of the French Ministry Bahcesehir, in partnership with Princeton Uni- of Foreign Affairs to present their peace plan versity and UNESCO, will organize together an at UNESCO. The visit was initiated by Valerie international conference in 2011 on the role of Hoffenberg, France’s special representative for Jewish German and Austrian scholars, who took the economic and cultural dimensions of the refuge in Turkey in the 1930s and contributed Middle East peace process, and an Israeli NGO, to the creation of the modern university system "Kids Creating Peace". The teenagers and their in the country. teachers showed keen interest and the young Palestinians took copies of the Diary of Anne University of Tunis: Frank in Arabic to take home. We have established a working relationship with Professor Habib Kazdaghli, head of “History and Meeting in Paris City Hall: Memory” research group at the University of Tu- A meeting in September 2010 at Paris City Hall, nis-Manouba. The group is part of the Research chaired by First Deputy Mayor of Paris Anne Laboratory for Regions and Heritage Resources, Hidalgo, discussed the possible activities that the led by Professor Abdelhamid Larguèche. The Aladdin Project could undertake to promote cooperation focuses on the teaching of the his- intercultural ties in France. Participants included tory of the Jewish community in Tunisia, inclu- Deputy Mayor of Nice Martine Ouaknine, ding the brief period of Nazi occupation of the Karim El Karaoui, Anny Dayan Rosenman, all country during the Second World War. three members of the Aladdin Project’s board of directors, several officials of the City Council, University of London: and representatives of the Jewish and Muslim Anne-Marie Revcolevschi and Professor Abdou communities. It was decided to present the Filali-Ansary presented the Aladdin Project in Aladdin Project to a meeting of French mayors the "School of Oriental and African Studies' and elected local officials in 2011 and discuss (SOAS), University of London in November with them the type of educational and cultural 2010. The University of London hosted the first initiatives that would be most productive in their conference on the Aladdin Project in Great cities and how the Aladdin Project could contri- Britain, chaired by Prof. Tudor Parfitt. Sydney bute to the process. Assor, head of the Moroccan Jewish community of Britain, spoke about Morocco’s support for Universities the Aladdin Project, while Dr. Richard Stone, a veteran of interfaith dialogue in Britain, said he hoped to see the organization become more University of Istanbul: active in the UK and work with existing struc- At a meeting between Enver Yucel, president of tures in their efforts to promote intercultural the University of Bahcesehir in Istanbul, Cengiz dialogue. Aktar, chairman of the Department of EU rela- 30 31

LOOKING AHEAD Projects underway in 2011

The following projects are scheduled to be implemented in the second half of 2011 and complement those already described in previous pages.

The Muslim Righteous Lanzmann’s Shoah to be broadcast by Turkey’s Three events in 2011 celebrate the role of Mus- lims who helped the Jews during the Holocaust: national television a premiere in Cannes in May for “The Turkish Passport”, the first Holocaust-related film pro- The Aladdin Project and its Turkish partners will duced in a Muslim country. It describes the little- organize a special event in Ankara to mark the known story of certain Turkish diplomats in Na- broadcast of Claude Lanzmann’s Shoah by the zi-occupied France who saved several hundred public television channel, TRT. Jews of Turkish origin from deportation to the death camps. A screening of the film will also be Launch of Aladdin Library’s organized in Paris in autumn in cooperation with the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the pre- new books sence of ministers, ambassadors, survivors, sons and daughters of the Turkish diplomats. The third A conference at the National Library of France event will be a conference in Rabat about Arab will mark the launch of the paperback edition rulers and individuals who refused to cooperate of 10 new books in Arabic and Persian on the with the Vichy regime or the German occupiers Holocaust. Panelists will include authors of the against Moroccan and Tunisian Jews. books, as well as prominent literary figures from the Arab world and Iran and Arab editors. The books will also be launched at the Frankfurt Jewish academics’ International Book Fair in October. contribution to modern education in Turkey “Shared Histories”: a conference in Nice University of Istanbul Bahcesehir, the Aladdin Project, Princeton University and UNESCO At the invitation of the Municipal Council of will be partners in the organization of a confe- Nice, a joint meeting of the Board of Directors rence in Istanbul in 2011 that will highlight the of the Aladdin Project and the city council will role of German and Austrian scholars of Jewish take place in November under the joint chair- faith who took refuge in Turkey in the 1930s manship of Anne-Marie Revcolevschi and the and 1940s and founded the modern system of Mayor of Nice, Christian Estrosy. On this occa- higher education in the country. sion, the city of Nice, president of Euromed 34 Cities Network, will host a conference about Conference in Brussels: “Shared Histories,” the collection of books being produced by the Aladdin Project about Jewish- “Can education bridge the Muslim histories in 12 countries of North Africa, divide between Jews and the Middle East and Asia. Muslims in Europe? The Aladdin Project’s Spain: Intercultural experience” relations from Andalusia and Inquisition A conference at the Francophone Parliament of to the Holocaust Brussels in December will see the formal launch of the Belgian Friends of the Aladdin Project, as In partnership with the City of Madrid and the well as a conference on this subject: “Can edu- Casa Sefard, a conference will be organized in cation bridge the divide between Muslims and Madrid where a panel of historians will discuss non-Muslims in Europe: the Aladdin Project’s ex- two topics: “The Holocaust and Spain” and perience”. A second conference will take place “Spain: A historical model for coexistence?” On at the European Parliament on the presence of this occasion, the Spanish Friends of the Aladdin Holocaust denial and anti-Semitic books in the Project will also be launched. book fairs of Mediterranean countries.

35 Governance

Staff in Val d'Oise • Marie-Hélène Bérard, President of MHB SA The Aladdin Project staff is composed of three • Chahla Chafiq, Iranian sociologist, essayist, and permanent members: women's rights activist • Abe Radkin, Executive Director • Anny Dayan Rosenman, Senior Lecturer at the • Diana Tey, responsible for websites, translations, University of Paris VII-Denis Diderot publications and administrative affairs • Hakim El Karoui, founder and President of • Eva Bertoin, program officer the Twenty-First Century Club, a director at • Esther Amar, Cécile Gauzi and Colette Loeb Rothschild Bank participate in the implementation of certain • Aly El Samman, president of the International projects as volunteers. Union for Jewish-Christian-Muslim Dialogue • For organizing the trip to Auschwitz, the and Peace Education, Egypt Aladdin Project strengthened its staff by • Abdou Filali-Ansary, philosopherand Islamic employing part-time, from October 2010 to scholar, Morocco January 2011, Myriam Allouche and Mohamed • Nilüfer Gole, Turkish anthropologist, director Kamli, an international law student. of research at EHESS • Anne Hidalgo, First Deputy Mayor of Paris Executive Committee • Serge Klarsfeld, lawyer and writer, president President: Anne-Marie Revcolevschi of the Association of Sons and Daughters of Vice President: Serge Klarsfeld Jews Deported from France Treasurer: Roch Olivier Maistre • Julia Kristeva, psychoanalyst and theorist of lan- Secretary General: Fatiha Benatsou guage and semiotics, chair of the Faculty of Lan- Members: Jacques Andréani, André Azoulay guages and Literature at the University of Paris VII Ex officio members (chair of committees): • Claude Lanzmann, writer and filmmaker Jean Mouttapa (Book Committee), Abdou Filali- • Roch-Olivier Maistre, first Attorney-General Ansary (Academic Committee), Anne Hidalgo at the Court of Auditors (Coexistence Committee), René-Samuel Sirat • Jean Mouttapa, director of Living Spiritualities and Aly El Samman (Interfaith Committee). Collection, Albin Michel Publishers • Ndioro Ndiaye, minister in several govern- > In 2010, the Executive Committee met on four ments in Senegal, occasions. • Martine Ouaknine, lawyer, Deputy Mayor of Nice • Anne-Marie Revcolevschi, President of the Board of Directors Aladdin Project • Jacques Andreani, former ambassador of • René-Samuel Sirat, former Chief Rabbi of France France to Cairo, Rome and Washington, DC • André Azoulay, adviser to the King of Morocco, > During this period, the board of directors met on president of Anna Lindh Foundation two occasions. • Fatiha Benatsou, Prefect for equal opportunities 36 Committees Rector of the Catholic Institute of Paris • Djenane Kareh Tager, writer and journalist, Lebanon Committees are responsible for studying project • Jean-François Colosimo, president, National Book proposals in their area of expertise. If approved Centre (CNL), philosopher, theologian and editor by the committee, the project is then sent to • Henry Rousso, historian, research director at CNRS the Board for final evaluation and adoption. • Joel Kotek, historian, professor at the Free Committees oversee the work of project University of Brussels directors by evaluating their progress reports. • Rachid Benzine, expert on Islam, author, During 2010, the composition of the existing lecturer at the Institute for Political Studies in committees was enlarged and new committees Aix-en-Provence were formed. Interfaith Committee Committee on Conscience • Chairs: Dr. Aly El Samman, President of the The Committee on Conscience is the International Union for Jewish-Christian-Muslim international advisory board of the Aladdin Dialogue and Peace Education, Chief Rabbi Project. The committee’s membership is being Rene-Samuel Sirat, enlarged to include intellectual, political, social • Dr. Mustafa Ceric, Grand Mufti of Bosnia and academic figures from around the world, • Dr Abduljalil Sajid, spiritual leader of the reflecting a broad diversity of cultural and Pakistani community in Britain religious backgrounds. The current list includes • René Gutman, Chief Rabbi of , France only the personalities from the Muslim world • Father Patrick Desbois, president of the who have accepted to join the committee. Association Yahad Unum, France • Alexander Sinyakov, rector of the Russian • Chair: Jacques Andréani, Ambassador of France Orthodox seminary in France • Khrouz Driss, Director of the National Library • Tareq Oubrou, rector of the Mosque of of Morocco Bordeaux, President of the Association of • Yasar Yakis, former Foreign Minister, Turkey Imams of France • Bakhtiar Amin, former Minister of Human Academic Committee Rights, Iraq • Chair: Professor Abdou Filali-Ansary, • Ilber Ortayli, president of the Topkapi Museum, philosopher, Morocco Turkey • Julia Kristeva, philosopher, chair of the Faculty of • Sari Nusaybah, president of Al Quds University Languages and Literature at the University of Paris- • Enver Yucel, president of Bahcesehir Istanbul VII University, Turkey • Nilüfer Gole, Turkish anthropologist, director of • Iyad Allawi, former Prime Minister of Iraq research at the EHESS • Salah Stétié, poet and former diplomat, Lebanon • Anny Dayan-Rosenman, Senior Lecturer • Daryoush Shayegan, philosopher and writer, Iran (Literature) at the University of Paris-VII • Doudou Diene, former UN special rapporteur • Cengiz Aktar, political scientist and academic, on contemporary forms of racism, racial Turkey discrimination, xenophobia and intolerance, • Ahmed Anwar Dezaye, president of the Senegal University of Salahaddin, Erbil, Iraq • Tarek Heggy, Egyptian writer and thinker • Mohammed Tozy, political scientist and academic, Morocco Book Committee • Adel Al-Kayar, university professor, Iraq • Chair: Jean Mouttapa, Director of Spirituality • Mohammed Dajani, president of Wasatia Collection, Albin Michel Publishers Movement, professor at Al-Quds University • Joseph Maila, professor of political sociology, • Jamaa Baida, professor at the University of expert on Islam and the Middle East, former Mohammed V, Rabat, Morocco 37 "Living together" Committee Casa Sefarad, has started work on the creation • Chair: Anne Hidalgo, First Deputy Mayor of Paris of the “Spanish Friends of the Aladdin Project”. • Anny Dayan Rosenman, Senior Lecturer at She has already received commitments from University of Paris VII-Denis Diderot several personalities, including the Mayor of • Hakim El Karoui, director at Rothschild Bank Madrid and former foreign minister, Miguel • Martine Ouaknine, Deputy Mayor of Nice Moratinos. The committee will be working • Chahla Chafiq, Iranian sociologist, essayist, and with us to organize a conference in Madrid in women’s rights activist November 2011. • Rafik Hassani, National Secretary in charge of international relations of the RCD, Algeria • Britain: Michelle Huberman, a founder of the • Fouzi Bettache, Secretary General of MOSAIC Association of Jews from the Middle East and Federation, France North Africa in London, is working to create the “Friends of the Aladdin Project in Britain”. "Friends of the Aladdin • United States: Professor Elie Wiesel has Project" in different agreed to be president of the "American countries Friends of the Aladdin Project" and several other personalities, including Howard Berman, chairman of the Democratic A number of affiliate groups called "Friends of Committee on Foreign Affairs of Congress, the Aladdin Project" are being formed in several former Congressman John Tanner, and Esther countries, including Belgium, Turkey, Spain, Britain Coopersmith, Goodwill Ambassador of and the United States, and the process of forming UNESCO, have agreed in principle to join the these groups is already underway. committee, which is being formed with the help of the French embassy in Washington, DC. • Belgium: Hubert Benkoski created in Brussels the Belgian Friends of the Aladdin Project. Several Jewish, Muslim and Christian personalities have already joined the committee. The committee will be working with us to organize a conference at the Belgian Parliament and the European Parliament in December 2011. • Turkey: Prof. Cengiz Aktar is the coordinator of the Friends of the Aladdin Project in Turkey and works closely with Nilüfer Göle, one of our Board members. Other members of the committee include Prof. Ilber Ortayli, president of Topkapi Museum, influential editorialist Ali Bayramoglu and Naim Guleryuz, president of the Jewish Museum of Istanbul, filmmaker Gunes Celikcan and academic Yael Habif. The committee was actively involved in mobilizing Turkish personalities and influential columnists to take part in the visit to Auschwitz and recount their experience in the Turkish media.

• Spain: Henar Corbi, former member of the Spanish Parliament and currently a leader of 38 Financial statements From September 2009 to December 2010, funding for the Aladdin Project came from private Foundations in France and abroad, public institutions in France and individual donors. The Aladdin Project Fund, an endowment fund, was set up under a recent French legislation with the aim of finding international financial support primarily for the activities of the Aladdin Project. Its president, David de Rothschild, has defined the fundraising policy and priorities and addressed letters to different potential donors. The Aladdin Project’s annual reports and accounts are certified by Cabinet Mazars (Mazars Group), one of France’s leading independent audits.

Notes:

1. As the Aladdin Project Association began its operations in September 2009, the financial report was prepared and audited for the last quarter of 2009 and the year 2010 as a whole.

2. The assets accumulated by the end of 2010 were largely allocated to two projects (the visit to Auschwitz and Claude Lanzmann’s Shoah), and the major expenditures for these two projects were incurred in the first quarter of 2011. Financial Data: 2009 (last quarter) and 2010 - All amounts in Euro -

Fondation Rothschild (Institut Alain de Rothschild) 8% Private donors Total SA 9% 3% Grants and Donations

French Ministry of Fondation pour la Defense Mémoire de la 3% Shoah Edomnd J. Safra 45% Philanthropic Foundation 32%

39

Board members' travels General 1% administration 19% Fundraising 5%

Projects 75%

Fondation Rothschild (Institut Alain de Rothschild) 8% Private donors Total SA 9% 3%

French Ministry of Fondation pour la Defense Mémoire de la 3% Shoah Edomnd J. Safra 45% Philanthropic Foundation 32%

Board members' travels General 1% administration 19% Expenditures Fundraising 5%

Projects 75%

Collection of 12 books on "Shared Histories" 6% Conferences Translation in 10 cities of 10 new books Online degree 27% 25% course on Jewish- Muslim relations 1% Project Expenditures Preparation of visit Development of to Auschwitz multilingual website 22% 8% Shoah of Claude Lanzmann 11%

Overall Results: Last quarter of 2009 + 2010 Total Income 475 010

Total Expenditures 275 591

Net assets on December 31, 2010 199 418 40 Recognition

We express our gratitude to the donors and institutional partners, whose contribution and partnership made our work possible:

Donors

Foundation for the Memory of the Shoah Edmond J. Safra Philanthropic Foundation Rothschild Foundation (Institut Alain de Rothschild) Ministry of Defense (France), Directorate of Memory, Heritage and Archives TOTAL SA

Institutional partners

UNESCO Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, France Mémorial de la Shoah Paris City Hall University of Istanbul Bahcesehir National Library of Morocco

Private donors

David de Rothschild Sabrina Azoulay Toutou-Baila Diagne David Revcolevschi

41 List of Annexes

42 Annex A Members of the International Delegation that visited Auschwitz on February 1, 2011

Annex B Message of His Majesty King Mohammed VI of Morocco to the organizers of the visit of the international delegation to Auschwitz, February 1, 2011

Annex C Remarks by President Abdoulaye Wade of Senegal, Chairman of the Islamic Conference Organization, at the press conference at the City Hall of Paris, January 31, 2011

Annex D Speech by Samuel Pisar in the name of Holocaust survivors and martyrs, Auschwitz, February 1, 2011

Annex E Speech by Dr. Mustafa Ceric, Grand Mufti of Bosnia, at the International Monument, Auschwitz, February 1, 2011

Annex F Remarks by Ms Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO, at the press conference at the City Hall of Paris, January 31, 2011

Annex G Remarks by Mr. Bertrand Delanoë, Mayor of Paris, at the press conference at the City Hall of Paris, January 31, 2011

Annex H Speech by Ms. Asha-Rose Migiro, Deputy Director General of the United Nations, Auschwitz, February 1, 2011

Annex I Speech by Mr. Gerhard Schröder, Former Chancellor of Germany, Auschwitz, February 1, 2011

Annex J Message of Dr. Ali Goma’a, Grand Mufti of Egypt, to the Aladdin Project on the occasion of the visit to Auschwitz

43 Annex A

Members of the International Delegation that visited Auschwitz on February 1, 2011

Survivors of the Holocaust pean Affairs and Chief Negotiator with the EU, Mr. Raphael Esrail, France representing Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Prime Ms. Ida Grinspan, France Minister of the Republic of Turkey; Ms. Ginette Kolinka, France H.E. Eleonora Mitrofanova, Ambassador, Per- Ms. Levy Yvette, France manent Delegate of the Russian Federation, Mr. Samuel Pisar, France President of the Executive Board of UNESCO, Mr. Rosenman Izio, France representing the Government of the Russian Mr. Roth Nicolas, France Federation; Mr. Roman Mr Frist, Poland H.E. David Killion, Ambassador, Permanent Mr. Marian Turski, Poland Delegate of USA to UNESCO, representing the Government of the United States of America; In the presence of Lord Greville Janner, Chairman of the Holo- Mr. Stjepan Mesic, former President of the Repu- caust Educational Trust, representing the United blic of Croatia Kingdom; Mr. Ely Ould Mohamed Vall, former President of H.E. Dina Kawar, Ambassador, representing the the Republic of Mauritania Government of the Hashemite Kingdom of Mr. Gerhard Schroeder, former German Chan- Jordan cellor Mr. Alon Simhayoff, representing H.E. Zvi Rav- Ner, Israeli Ambassador to Poland (absent from Representatives of Heads of States and Poland) Governments H.E. Maciej Kozłowski, Ambassador-at-Large for Prof. Roman Kuzniar, senior advisor to the Presi- Polish-Jewish relations, representing the Ministry dent of the Republic for foreign policy, represen- of Foreign Affairs of Poland ting Mr. Bronislaw Komorowski, President of the Mr. Stanisław Kracik, Prefect of the region of Republic of Poland; Krakow, Poland H.E. François Zimeray, Ambassador for Human Rights, representing Mr. , Presi- Religious figures dent of the French Republic; Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz, Archbishop of H.E. Aziza Bennani, Ambassador, representing Krakow, Poland H.M. King Mohammed VI of Morocco; Chief Rabbi Israel Meir Lau, President of the H.E. Yasar Yakis, former Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Council of Yad Vashem, a survivor Chairman of the Committee for harmonization of the Holocaust, Israel of relations with the European Union at the Dr. Mustafa Ceric, Grand Mufti of Bosnia Grand National Assembly of Turkey, representing Cardinal André Vingt-Trois, Archbishop of Paris, Mr. Abdullah Gül, President of the Republic of France Turkey; Cardinal Philippe Barbarin, Archbishop of Lyon, H.E. Bakhtiar Amin, former Minister, representing France President Jalal Talabani of Iraq; Mr. Gilles Bernheim, Chief Rabbi of France H.E. Egemen Bagis, Minister in charge of Euro- Mr. Michael Schudrich, Chief Rabbi of Poland

44 Sheikh Khamis Abda, President of imams in the Jean Mouttapa, director of the Spirituality Live Palestinian territories Series Albin Michel Dr. Abduljalil Sajid, spiritual leader of the Pakistani Mr. Abe Radkin, Executive Director of Aladdin Muslim community in Great Britain Project Mr. René Gutman, Chief Rabbi of Strasbourg, France Political, intellectual and academic Father Patrick Desbois, President of Yahad Unum personalities Association, France Prof. Ilber Ortaylı, President of the Topkapi Mr. Alexander Sinyakov, Rector of the Russian Museum, Turkey Orthodox seminary in France, director of ecu- Mr. Driss El Yazami, Chairman of the Moroccan menical relations in the Diocese of Chersonese, community abroad, Morocco Patriarchate of Moscow Ms. Catherine Colonna, former minister, France Professor Arie Ben-Nun Dr. Richard Prasquier, President of CRIF Mr. Tareq Oubrou, Rector of the Mosque of Mr. Pierre Besnainou, President of the United Bordeaux, President of the Association of Imams Jewish Social Fund, France of France Mr. Anis Al Qaq, former Secretary of State, Mr. Assani Fassassi, Secretary General of the Palestine French Federation of Islamic Associations of Mr. Ofer Bronchtein, former advisor to Yitzhak Africa, the Comoros and the Caribbean Rabin, president of the International Forum for Mr. Yehoshua Ellis, rabbi of the Jewish community Peace and Reconciliation in the Middle East, in Katowice, Poland Israel Mr. Stanisław Bisztyga, Senator of Krakow, Poland The Aladdin Project Mr. Piotr Cywinski, Director of the Museum of Ms. Anne-Marie Revcolevschi, President of the Auschwitz, Poland Aladdin Project Mr. Kazdaghli Habib, historian, Tunisia Mr. David de Rothschild, Chairman of the Alad- Mr. Sari Nusaybah, President of Al Quds Univer- din Fund sity, Palestine Mr. Jacques Andréani, Ambassador of France Mr. Rafik Hassani, Member of Parliament, Natio- Mr. André Azoulay, Advisor to the King of nal Secretary in charge of international relations Morocco, President of Anna-Lindh Foundation of RCD, Algeria Ms. Marie-Hélène Bérard, President of MHB Mr. Enver Yucel, president of Bahcesehir Univer- Ms. Anny Dayan-Rosenman, senior lecturer at sity in Istanbul, Turkey the University of Paris VII Mr. Anwar Ahmed Amin, President of the Uni- Mr Eric de Rothschild, President of Shoah versity of Erbil, Kurdistan, Iraq Memorial Ms. Corinne Evens, Belgium Mr. Aly Elsamman, Chairman of the Committee Mr. Adel Al-Kayar, University Professor, Iraq for Interreligious Dialogue, Egypt Mr. Driss Khrouz, Director of the National Ms. Ndioro Ndiaye, former Minister of Women, Library of Morocco President of the Alliance for Migration, Lea- Mr. A. B. Yehoshua, writer, Israel dership and Development, Senegal Admiral Susan J. Blumenthal (ret.) , MD, Former Professor Abdou Filali-Ansary, philosopher, Assistant Surgeon General and Deputy Asst Morocco Secretary for Health, USA Ms. Nilufer Gole, anthropologist, director of Professor Paweł Machcewicz, Director of the research at EHESS, Turkey Museum of World War II, Warsaw, Poland Mr. Claude Lanzmann, director and filmmaker, Mr. Faruk Kaymakci, diplomatic adviser to the France Minister in charge of relations with the European Mr. Roch-Olivier Maistre, First Advocate General Union, Turkey at the Court of Auditors, France Ms. Bariza Khiari, Senator, France 45 Mr. Michel Abitbol, historian, Israel Mr. Alberto Ruiz-Gallardon, Mayor of Madrid, Mr. Mohammed Dajani, President of the Wasatia Spain Movement, professor at Al Quds University, Mr. Adama Sangare, Mayor of Bamako, Mali Palestine Mr. Sorin Oprescu, Mayor of Bucharest, Romania Mr. Rachid Arhab, member of the Supreme Mr. Fathallah Oualalou, Mayor of Rabat, Morocco Audiovisual Council, France Mr. Nihad Qoja, Mayor of Erbil, Iraq Mr. Fouzi Bettache, Secretary General of the Mr. Jean-François Ntoutoume-Emane, Mayor of MOSAIC Federation, France Libreville, Gabon Mr. Simon Xavier Guerrand-Hermes, President Mr. Simon Compaore, Mayor of Ouagadougou, of "Guerrand-Hermes Foundation for Peace” Burkina Faso Mr. Mohammed Tozy, political scientist and aca- Mr. Alija Behmen, Mayor of Sarajevo, Bosnia demic, Morocco Mr. Mohamed Sajid, Mayor of Casablanca, Ms. Amira Mostafa, Director of "Arab World Morocco Center for Democratic Development, Jordan Mr. Abdelhamid Chabat, Mayor of Fez, Morocco Mr. Tudor Parfitt, a professor at the School of Mr. Hilal Ahmed, mayor of Meknes, Morocco Oriental and African Studies, University of Lon- Mr. Janusz Marszalek, Mayor of Oswiecim, Poland don, United Kingdom Mrs Anne Hidalgo, First Deputy Mayor of Paris, Claude Nataf, President of the Historical Society France of Jews from Tunisia Pierre Schapira, Deputy Mayor of Paris, France Mr. Jamaa Baida, professor at the University of Martine Ouaknine, Deputy Mayor of Nice, Mohammed V, Rabat, Morocco France Mr. Abdellatif Laâbi, writer, Morocco Mr. Faouzi Skali, Director of the Festival of Fez, International Organizations Morocco Ms. Asha-Rose Migiro, Deputy Secretary-General Mrs. Binnaz Toprak, professor of political science, of the United Nations, special envoy of Mr. Ban Turkey Ki-moon Mr. Sedat Ergin, columnist for the newspaper Ms. Irina Bokova, Director General of UNESCO Hurriet, Turkey Mr. Mevlut Çavuşoğlu, President of the Parlia- Mr. Hasan Cemal, columnist, Turkey mentary Assembly of the Council of Europe Mr. Ali Bayramoglu, sociologist and writer, Turkey Mr. Francesco Bandarin, Deputy Director Gene- Mr. Cengiz Aktar, political scientist and columnist, ral for Culture, Director of the World Heritage Turkey Centre Mr. Izak Kolman, representative of the Jewish Mr Eric Falt, Director-General for External Rela- community in Turkey tions and Public Information, UNESCO Ms. Gabrielle Rochmann, Deputy Director, Foun- Mr. Alain Husson-Dumoutier, Artist for Peace, dation for the Memory of the Shoah, France painter and sculptor of UNESCO Mr. Cemal Usak, Vice-President of the Union of Ms. Hedva Ser, Artist for Peace, Vice-President Journalists and Writers, Turkey and founder of the International Museum of Mr. Fehmi Koru, columnist, Turkey Women Artists Ms. Yael Habif, Director of International Relations, University of Bahcesehir Istanbul, Turkey Ambassadors and diplomats Mr. Gunes Celikcan, filmmaker, Turkey H.E. Esther Coopersmith, UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador, USA Mayors H.E. Almir Sahovic, Ambassador of Bosnia- Mr. Bertrand Delanoe, Mayor of Paris, France Herzegovina to France Mr. Jacek Majchrowski, Mayor of Krakow, Poland H.E. Resit Uman, Ambassador of Turkey to Mr. Nicephore Soglo, Mayor of Cotonou, former Poland President of the Republic, Benin H.E. Rama Yade, Ambassador and Permanent 46 Delegate of France to UNESCO H.E. Martina Nibbeling-Wrießnig, Ambassador, H.E. Davidson L. Hepburn, Ambassador and Per- Permanent Delegate of Germany to UNESCO manent Delegate of the Bahamas to UNESCO, H.E. Alexander Savov, Ambassador, Permanent President of the 35th session of the General Delegate of Bulgaria to UNESCO Conference of UNESCO Mr. Alexis Chahtahtinsky, Consul General of H.E. Krzysztof Kocel, Ambassador and Permanent France in Krakow Delegate of Poland to UNESCO Heinz Peters, Consul General of Germany in H.E. Miguel Angel Estrella, Ambassador, Perma- Krakow nent Delegate of Argentina to UNESCO Mr. Allen S. Greenberg, Consul General of the H.E. Odette Yao Yao, Ambassador, Permanent United States in Krakow Delegate of Ivory Coast to UNESCO

47 Annex B

Message of His Majesty King Mohammed VI of Morocco to the organizers of the visit of the international delegation to Auschwitz, February 1, 2011

It is with great pleasure that I received your kind invitation to participate in the commemoration of Holocaust victims planned on February 1, 2011, in the framework of the “Aladdin Project.”

I would like to commend, on this occasion, the hard work of members of the Aladdin Project to create opportunities for a fruitful dialogue based on mutual respect and aimed at combating misin- formation, stereotypes and Holocaust denial, ferment of extremism that stifles the voice of reason and alters the spirit of moderation.

Setting up an online library that brings together for the first time in Arabic and Persian books on the history of the Holocaust sets the stage for a much-needed work of memory and resonates like a call to collective conscience.

It was in this spirit of bringing people together that I sent last year a message to participants at the launch conference of the Aladdin Project, reiterating my frank and unequivocal support for the values of human dignity. I was the first Sovereign in the Arab world to share my reading of the duty of remembrance that the Holocaust imposes upon us, that of a wound to the collective memory, which we know is engraved in one of the most painful chapters in the collective history of mankind. I would like to assure you of my firm commitment and determination to advocate for the noble ideals promoted by your project and my full support for initiatives being launched within this fra- mework, including an upcoming conference in Rabat with the theme "The Muslim Righteous.” It is with great interest that I wish your present undertaking every success.

The organization of the visit by High Personalities to a place that will forever be remembered as a symbol of intolerance and anti-Semitism will, without doubt, enable the younger generations to carry out an essential work of remembrance.

In this regard, I have designated Madam Ambassador Aziza Bennani, Permanent Delegate to UNESCO, to represent me in this important event. 48 Annex C

Remarks by President Abdoulaye Wade of Senegal, Chairman of the Islamic Conference Organization, at the press conference at the City Hall of Paris, January 31, 2011

You were not surprised at the statement I made at UNESCO in 2009 at the launch of the Aladdin Project to give my full support to this initiative. I am committed to this cause first by human sen- sitivity and also because I am a liberal, that is, someone who believes in the fundamental values of human beings.

The anti-Jewish racism is well-known and the Final Solution was put into action. This is what the Nazis wanted, to make the Jews disappear from the planet. Other forms of racism, although they tend to disappear today, still survive in customs and traditions. I am one of those who think that we must fight against the neglect of certain events. The Holocaust cannot be denied, it is a historical fact and if we keep its memory alive, it’s because we do not want it to happen again. As I said, man is made of values and anti-values and if the anti-values dominate, it is possible that there will be other genocides may be with other races. That’s why we need to be vigilant.

49 Annex D

Speech by Samuel Pisar in the name of Holocaust survivors and martyrs, Auschwitz, February 1, 2011

Honorable Heads and Former Heads of State and Government,

Chairman of the Islamic Conference Organization,

Grand Muftis, Cardinals, Chief Rabbis,

Director General of UNESCO,

Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations,

Mayor of Paris,

President of the Foundation for the Memory of the Shoah,

President of Project Aladdin,

Excellencies, Eminences and Highnesses,

Ladies and Gentlemen:

To address in the name of the martyrs and survivors of this cursed and sacred place where the barge of human civilization went under, such an illustrious international audience of political, religious and cultural leaders, is an awesome responsibility. It was assigned to me because I am a survivor of Aus- chwitz, Majdanek and Dachau.

I thank you from the bottom of my heart for having undertaken this truly historic pilgrimage to the world’s largest cemetery – a cemetery without graves or tombstones, which accounts for more than one and a half million innocent souls. Your presence here to commemorate the 66th anniversary of the 50 camp’s liberation and to launch an ecumenical dialogue about the Holocaust that transcends political, ideological and religious strife, opens a new and promising horizon for the future.

We are gathered for this exceptional moment of inter-faith solidarity on the blood-soaked soil of Poland, the country of my birth. Among the six million European Jews annihilated by the Nazis and their accomplices, as much as a quarter, including my entire family and all 500 children of my school, perished in the gas chambers of Birkenau (Auschwitz II) whose ruins you have inspected today. Some 200.000 Poles, Gypsies, prisoners of war, resistance fighters, political leaders and others were also murdered here.

It is therefore here, united by the same pain, with the mind-boggling evidence staring us in the face, that we can best meditate on the old and new forms of intolerance, injustice and violence that are again inflaming our fratricidal and suicidal world. From here we speak to all nations, races and religions, to white and black, rich and poor, young and old. For we are at the epicenter of the greatest catastrophe ever perpetrated by man against man, under the largely indifferent gaze of our fellow-humans.

As a skeletal 15-year old with shaved head and sunken eyes, I was a direct witness of that catastrophe. My testimony will spare you the unspeakable horrors I have endured, but allow me to evoke one nightmarish image that haunts me to this day. Hallucinating from hunger, anxiety and grief, while the crematoria spewed fire and smoke, I saw interminable lines of men, women and children, brought here by cattle trains from all corners of this continent -- often 10,000 per day -- being herded into the gas chambers. And I heard them murmur their last “Shema”, the ultimate prayer of our common Abraha- mic faith: “The Lord, our God, the Lord is one.”

After the steel doors were shut, they had only three minutes to live. Yet they found enough strength to dig their fingernails into the walls and scratch in the words: « Never Forget! » Those words, and their myriad echoes that still reverberate in time and space, have imposed on us all a sacred obligation to remember. The Auschwitz number engraved on my arm reminds me of it every day. And today, Excel- lencies and Eminences, it is my duty to remind you, indeed, everyone who would listen, and particularly the young. For the deluge of hatred, cruelty and fear that is currently upon us threatens to devastate their universe as it once devastated mine.

The planned and systematic extermination of my people unleashed by Hitler and his henchmen des- troyed everyone and everything around me, and condemned me to slave labor till death, in this vast extermination factory where Eichmann and Mengele eclipsed Dante’s vision of inferno. In the Spring of 1945, as the victorious allied armies converged on Germany from East and West, I escaped from my jailors in a hail of bullets, and was liberated by an armored column of American GI’s. After a long and difficult rehabilitation, I went on to live, study, work and thrive in the warm embrace of freedom and democracy.

Today, looking back on my tortuous odyssey of blood and hope, and the renewed carnage that is spreading from continent to continent, I fear that mankind has learned nothing from the barbarism that reigned in the era Auschwitz; that man remains capable of the worst as of the best, of hatred as of love, of madness as of genius; that unless we heed the warnings of our horror-filled past, respect the sanctity and dignity of human life and espouse the core universal values shared by all great creeds – religious and secular - the darkness will return with a vengeance to ruin our future

In the wake of the “Final Solution” which decimated the Jewish nation, and the mass exterminations of Cambodians, Bosnians, Rwandis, Darfuris and others since then, humanity is faced with growing risks 51 of new man-made calamities, some of them planetary, with plagues of toxic gas, swarms of nuclear missiles and radioactive mushroom clouds. If such reflections are relevant today, it is because amid the ashes of Auschwitz we can discern the specter of doomsday we are too blind to anticipate and too divided to prevent.

From where, if not from this God-forsaken place can come the alert that the unthinkable is again possible? Where if not here can we find the inspiration, courage and unity to deal with the existential challenges that lie ahead? If the innocents who have perished here could make themselves heard, they would surely clamor before you: “Never again devastating wars between hereditary enemies: Germans and French, Chinese and Japanese, Indians and Pakistanis, Arabs and Jews; never again Crusades or Jihads, Stalingrads or Hiroshimas, racist genocides, ethnic cleansings or religious assassinations. Never Again!

We the last living survivors of the Holocaust are now disappearing one by one. After us history will speak about it at best, with the impersonal voice of scholars and novelists; at worst, in the malevolent register of falsifiers and demagogues. This process has already begun, and its most incendiary practi- tioners, who are still plotting to wipe us out, promote it in shameless disregard of the manifest truth.

No, Excellencies and Eminences, what we are commemorating today is not a ”myth”. It is a unique, unprecedented, gruesome reality implemented by bloodthirsty tyrants and dictators on these very killing fields. Cynical allegations by their would-be imitators, that the atrocious crimes against humanity we have experienced in body and soul had never happened, are not only unbearably painful to hear. They invite repetitions of such crimes against us, against others, even against their own long-suffering kin. Permit me to say that this perverse mentality is unworthy of those who cherish the lofty com- mandments of our great faiths, and who worship the same monotheistic God.

This morning I had to pinch myself as I stood with my fellow-survivors in the bitter cold and icy wind of Birkenau, reciting “Kaddish” – the timeless mourners’ prayer for loved ones -- in the presence of the Chief Rabbi of Israel, the Archbishop of Paris, the Grand Mufti of Bosnia and so many official envoys from Turkey, Jordan, Iraq, Morocco, Senegal, Palestine and elsewhere. We were particularly moved by the strong and stirring words of the Grand Mufti: “I am here to say to those who deny the Holocaust in Auschwitz and the genocide in Srebrenica that they are also committing genocide.”

It is with deep gratitude and great expectations that we welcome your noble Project Aladdin – a sobering call of conscience and conviction to raise public awareness of the ravages and lessons of the Holocaust; and to oppose all new forms of prejudice, discrimination, persecution or terror -- be they against Jews, Muslims, Christians or anyone else.

May the magic lamp of Aladdin help light the way to a more radiant future for the children of Abraham, and all others yearning so fervently for freedom, democracy and peace.

52 Annex E

Speech by Dr. Mustafa Ceric, Grand Mufti of Bosnia, at the International Monument, Auschwitz, February 1, 2011

Why am I here today?

I am here because I wanted to see this with my own eyes.

As it is says in an Arabic proverb, « It is not the same what you hear and what you see ».

I want to thank the Aladdin Project, UNESCO, and the City of Paris for inviting us to see the extent of evil that human beings can do to other human beings.

I didn’t care about Auschwitz, I didn’t know about Auschwitz until what happened to me and to my people.

I am here to say to all of you and to the rest of the world: don’t wait for genocides to happen to you. I am here to say to those who deny Holocaust in Auschwitz and those who deny genocide in Srebrenica that you are capable of committing genocide again.

And if we really want to prevent future genocides we must do much more than sympathize with the victims. We have to comprehend the psychological depth of the perpetrators of genocide and indifference of genocide observers.

We have to learn what makes some persons, who were once normal, to hate other persons and people to the extent that they want to systematically and methodically eliminate them all! But we also need to learn about those who support genocide against innocent people or observe it from the distance! We need to learn more about them too!

We need to learn about the holocaust and genocides not only as of historical facts but also as a means to teach our children about the dangers of racism, anti-Semitism, Islamophobia and other examples of human intolerance.

53 We must teach younger generations to appreciate democracy and human rights and encourage them to reject hatred, intolerance and ethnic conflicts so that “never again” is really true.

So I want to send a message: those who deny the Holocaust and genocides are capable of commit- ting genocide again.

Today, here in Auschwitz we are united in hope that our future will be better than our past so let us pray together:

• Our Lord, if we sin, give us the strength of Adam's repentance! • If disaster befalls us, teach us how to build Noah’s Ark! • If despair darkens us, enlighten us with Abraham's honest faith! • If we are threatened by a tyrant, empower us with Moses’ courage! • If we are offered hatred, save us with Jesus' love! • If we are in despair and destitute, strengthen us with Mohammed's call for social justice! • Our Lord, we ask you to unite our hearts in humanity! • Our Lord, we ask you to strengthen our steps towards truth and justice! • Our Lord, we ask you to unite our will towards peace and security! • Our Lord, we ask you to take away the violent sword from tyrants and empower the weak with a trust in truth and justice. • Our Lord, do not let success deceive us • Nor failure takes us to despair! • Always remind us that failure is a temptation that precedes success! • Our Lord, teach us that tolerance is the highest degree of power and that the desire for revenge is the first sign of weakness! • Our Lord, if you deprive us of our property, give us hope! • If you take from us the blessing of health, provide us with the blessing of faith! • Our Lord, if we sin against people, give us the strength of apology! • And if people sin against us, give us the strength of forgiveness! • Our Lord, may grief become hope! • May revenge become justice! • May mother's tears become prayers that Auschwitz and Srebrenica never happen again, to anyone and anywhere! Amen!

54 Annex F

Remarks by Ms Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO, at the press conference at the City Hall of Paris, January 31, 2011

Mr Mayor of Paris, Bertrand Delanoë,

Mr President of the Republic of Senegal and Chairperson of the Islamic

Conference, Abdoulaye Wade,

Madam Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, Asha-Rose Migiro,

Madam President of the Aladdin project, Anne-Marie Revcolevschi,

Ladies and Gentlemen of the press,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

UNESCO has sponsored the Aladdin project since it was launched in 2009. Our support for this project and our trip to Auschwitz-Birkenau tomorrow form part of our education programme on Holocaust remembrance and tolerance.

The trip to Auschwitz-Birkenau is very close to our hearts at UNESCO for a number of reasons, of which I shall mention two.

The first reason is that within the next 20 years or so, all the survivors of the Holocaust will have passed away. In order to understand what the Holocaust was, all that we will have left will be their eyewitness accounts, the historical records and the Auschwitz-Birkenau site. All of these resources are vital, as they enable us to go beyond an “intellectual” and “abstract” representation of the mas- sacre, in order to face the painful truth and the stark reality of death.

55 Auschwitz-Birkenau is a UNESCO World Heritage site. I would add that it is the only site to have been inscribed by the States Parties with the explicit intention of fulfilling the duty to transmit remembrance to future generations.

The second reason has to do with the composition of our delegation. The Holocaust does not just concern a single nation or a single region. The Holocaust concerns all of us. All politicians, intellectuals and religious leaders in every country throughout the world must combat negationism and racism. Regardless of our origins, our culture or our religion, this trip can help to put an end to conflicts of memory. It can help to foster the emergence of a collective memory based on a shared narrative of the past.

This is the message of the Aladdin project and the message conveyed by UNESCO. The Holocaust is not merely a “dark page” or a “tragic episode” of history, but a point of no return – the collapse of ci- vilization. The Holocaust put paid to the meaning of collective construction, humanism and dialogue; if we wish to rebuild humanism today, we are duty-bound to go back through Auschwitz-Birkenau. I hope that with initiatives such as these we may help to make this death camp a gathering place for all cultures of the world and the starting point of a new humanism.

Thank you.

56 Annex G

Remarks by Mr. Bertrand Delanoë, Mayor of Paris, at the press conference at the City Hall of Paris, January 31, 2011

A visit to Auschwitz is an effort of truth and clarity with regard to human history. It’s a tribute to the victims, a desire to give life to a message of humanity. But the unprecedented visit that we will undertake tomorrow will have a larger, and I hope stronger, message. For tomorrow we'll be together, women and men from all continents, of all races, of all colors of skin. We will be in a way humanity itself, responding to that extraordinarily shameful moment for humanity with another moment that brings honor to humanity. It is important that tomorrow we stand together, sitting or former Heads of State, including the President of the Republic of Senegal who is also Chairman of the Islamic Conference Organization, as well as mayors of the Maghreb, Africa, Europe, Turkey. It is their presence, and the presence of many Turkish, Palestinian, North African, Pakistani, and other personalities that's the strength of this gathering. Tomorrow, there will be Jews, Muslims, Christians, as well as atheists and agnostics. Tomorrow there will be humanity at its most beautiful, when human beings gather with no distinction other than their humanity, in order to say that this did take place, that we condemn it, that we want it to be known and that we affirm in the face of humanity that we stand united to reject anti-Semitism, racism, Islamophobia, and discrimination of any kind.

57 Annex H

Speech by Ms. Asha-Rose Migiro, Deputy Director General of the United Nations, Auschwitz, February 1, 2011

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, Holocaust survivors,

I am deeply moved and humbled to be standing in Auschwitz, where millions of men, women and children were brutally and systematically murdered during the Holocaust. I am honored to be here with survivors who had the good fortune to rise above their Nazi tormen- ters. And honored to pay tribute to the liberators who triumphed over the Nazi atrocities. Auschwitz will be forever imprinted in our minds and souls as the international symbol of mass murder and horror.

Our hearts will continue to ache for the suffering of the victims and their families. Only near the end of the war did the world begin to grasp the extent of the genocide and crimes committed here. Even now, decades later, we still have much to learn. That is why the United Nations instituted an annual day of commemoration in memory of the victims.

And that is why the United Nations General Assembly called for an outreach programme to deve- lop educational materials about the Holocaust. To help people understand what happened here and across the vast sea of extermination camps -- so that it may never, ever happen again. We are hard at work with partners such as Yad Vashem, reaching out to young people the world over. We are promoting respect for diversity and human rights, combating hatred and racism. We are speaking out against all forms of Holocaust denial.

We owe this to all those today who face prejudice and violence. And we owe this to the millions of Jews and other minorities to whom we pay tribute today. May these surroundings, and the memories of what happened here, guide us in heeding the lessons of the Holocaust.

Here in Auschwitz-Birkenau, where darkness fell. Let us pledge to bring more light to the world. Thank you. 58 Annex I

Speech by Gerhard Schröder, Auschwitz, February 1, 2011

Excellencies, Ladies and gentlemen,

After visiting the Auschwitz-Birkenau memorial, it is hard to find any words, let alone the right ones, to express the incomprehensible. As a former Chancellor of Germany, I feel that I have a special responsibility when being asked to speak on such an occasion and in this place. I bow my head to all the victims of the tyrannical Nazi regime. It originated in Germany and claimed millions of victims. Here in Auschwitz-Birkenau of all places, where the annihilation of human life was perpetuated by monstrous machinery; I say, we are here in remembrance of every single victim. We owe it to them and their dignity that was brutally taken from them. But, above all, the commitment we owe to the victims is that we will endeavour to ensure that such a crime can NEVER be allowed to happen again.

Ladies and gentlemen, This historic responsibility places special duties on us all, but especially on Germany. The memory of the National Socialist period, of war, genocide and crimes against humanity has become deeply ingrained in our national identity. Out of this remembrance arises the imperative for democratic Germany to oppose the forces of injustice and tyranny, whatever form they may take. Out of this remembrance grows Germany's recognition of Israel's right to exist as a sovereign state within secure borders. This commitment is one of the cornerstones of Germany's foreign policy. It is also a fundamental principle of German foreign policy to strive for a viable and independent state for the Palestinian people.

We know that this is a precondition for the establishment and maintenance of permanent peace in the Middle East. 59 Ladies and gentlemen, The death of millions of people, The anguish of the survivors, The agonies of the victims and The resistance of the brave – All these are the foundation of our joint mission to create a better future. This better future will only be possible without anti-Semitism and racism, without injustice and violence.

That is why I feel deeply honoured that Baron David de Rothschild has invited me to be a patron of the Aladdin Project. The dialogue between cultures and religions helps us move towards a goal that we all share, namely, to live in a world of peace and freedom. The purpose of this project is to achieve an objective and sensitive understanding of history. This is needed because - all too often - strange, misguided ideas still exist with regard to the Shoah. This project works for respectful, humane and, above all, peaceful relations within and between our societies.

We want people of diverse origins, different language and religious backgrounds to be able to share a common future and enjoy a life in peace.

Tolerance, mutual understanding and reconciliation are the lessons we must learn from the Shoah. That is the least that we owe to the victims of Auschwitz-Birkenau.

And that is the mission! A mission that is incumbent on us across the generations.

Thank you.

60 Annex J

Message of Dr. Ali Goma’a, Grand Mufti of Egypt, to the Aladdin Project on the occasion of the visit to Auschwitz

As there are fewer survivors of the Holocaust to tell their stories today, it is of primary importance that these universal lessons be shared with all fellow human beings. Only this will ensure that their legacy will continue to promote respect for diversity and human rights for generations to come. Wherever minorities are being persecuted, we must raise our voices to protest. The essence of this day of commemoration lies in its twofold purpose: one that deals with the memory and remembrance of those who were massacred during the Holocaust, and the other with educating future generations of its horrors teaching them that we should join our hands together, that we are essentially in one boat and that we must do our utmost so that all peoples must enjoy the protections and rights that all human begins are entitled to irrespective of their racial, religious or ethnic backgrounds.

61 Verd Yaş Respect o Birlikte Sejarah Diálog encia n Barış Kebenara Conviv Hoşgörü Dialog Paz Bilgi Berdampingan Tolerancia Saygı Conocimiento Kedamaian Tarih nce Respeto Toleransi n Gerçek Historia Pengetahua Diyalog ce Verdad e Respect o Birlikte edge Sejarah Diálog encia n Barış ct Kebenara Conviv Hoşgögö ry Dialog Paz Production supervisor: Bilgi Diana Tey h Berdampingan Tolerancia Saygg ogue Conocimiento Graphic design: Kedamaian Tarr Kalawave Respeto existence Toleransi n Gee Historia ace Pengetahua D Verdad olerance Respect o B Sejarah Diálog Knowledge n encia Kebenara Conviv Respect y Dialog Paz Histor dampingan Photo credits: Ber Tolerancia o Truth p.14 : Serge Klarsfeld in Erbil, Iraq ©The Aladdin Project Conocimiento Dialogue Kedamaian p.19 : UNESCO conference for the launch of Claude Lanzmann’s Shoah in Persian. French Culture Toleransi n Respeto Minister Frederic Mitterrand, journalist Philippe Dessaint, Claude Lanzmann, UNESCO Director Coexistence General Irina Bokova, Aladdin Project President Anne-Marie Revcolevschi ©Erez Lichtfeld Pengetahua Historia Peace Verdad p.21 : Grand Mufti of Bosnia Dr. Mustafa Ceric addressing the international delegation at the Respect o International Monument in Auschwitz ©Erez Lichtfeld Tolerance Sejarah Diálog c Knowledge n enc p.22 : Press conference at the City Hall of Paris: Anne-Marie Revcolevschi, UN Deputy Secretary Kebenara Conviv General Asha-Rose Migiro, Paris Mayor Bertrand Delanoe, Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade, Respect UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova ©Erez Lichtfeld y Dialog Paz Histor c p.23 : Wreath-laying ceremony in Auschwitz: from left: Irina Bokova, Asha-Rose Migiro, Gerhard Berdampingan Toleranc Schröder, Raphael Esrail, President of the Union of French Deportees to Auschwitz ©Erez Lichtfeld Truth m Conocim Photos in annexes (except photo of Dr. Goma’a) ©Erez Lichtfeld Dialogue Kedamaian t Respet Coexistence Toleransi n r Pengetahua Histor 62 Peace a Respect Verda Tolerance o wledge Sejarah n Diálo Verd Yaş Respect o Birlikte Sejarah Diálog encia n Barış Kebenara Conviv Hoşgörü Dialog Paz Bilgi Berdampingan Tolerancia Saygı Conocimiento Kedamaian Tarih nce Respeto Toleransi n Gerçek Historia Pengetahua Diyalog ce Verdad e Respect o Birlikte edge Sejarah Diálog encia n Barış ct Kebenara Conviv Hoşgögö ry Dialog Paz Bilgi h Berdampingan Tolerancia Saygg ogue Conocimiento Kedamaian Tarr Respeto existence Toleransi n Gee Historia ace Pengetahua D Verdad olerance Respect o B Sejarah Diálog Knowledge n encia Kebenara Conviv Respect y Dialog Paz Histor Berdampingan Tolerancia o Truth Conocimiento Dialogue Kedamaian Respeto Coexistence Toleransi n Pengetahua Historia Peace dad Respect Ver Tolerance o Sejarah Diálog c Knowledge n enc Kebenara Conviv Respect y Dialog Paz Histor c Berdampingan Toleranc Truth m Conocim Dialogue Kedamaian t Respet Coexistence Toleransi n r Pengetahua Histor Peace a Respect Verda Tolerance o wledge Sejarah n Diálo A Call to Conscience

“A Call to Conscience” is the declaration of principles of the Aladdin Project. It was signed by President Abdoulaye Wade, Mr. and Mrs. at the launch conference of the Aladdin Project on behalf of all the participants. Since then, hundreds of intellectuals and public figures from around the world have added their signatures.

e, women and men in public life, historians, intellectuals and people from all faiths, have come W together to declare that the defence of values of justice and fraternity must overwhelm all obstacles to prevail over intolerance, racism and conflict.

With every passing day, we witness a rising tide of hatred and violence filling the gulf of misunderstanding. This particularly affects the current relations between Muslims and Jews, while for centuries - in Persia, throughout the Middle East, in North Africa and across the Ottoman Empire - they lived together often in harmony. We say clearly that the Israelis and the Palestinians have a right to their own state, their own sovereignty and security and that any peace process with such aims must be supported.

In the face of ignorance, prejudice and competing memories that we reject, we believe in the power of knowledge and the primacy of History. We therefore affirm, beyond all political considerations, our determination to defend historical truth, for no peace is built on lies. The Holocaust is a historical fact: the genocide in which six million European Jews were exterminated. Its scope is universal, for it was the values of dignity and respect for human beings that Nazi Germany and its European accomplices sought to destroy.

To deny this crime against humanity is not only an insult to the memory of the victims, but also an insult to the very idea of civilization. Hence, we believe that the teaching of this tragedy concerns all those who have at heart the will to prevent further genocides. The same requirement of truth calls on us to recall the actions of the Righteous in Europe and in the Arab and Muslim world. Together, we declare our common desire to promote a sincere dialogue, open and fraternal. It is in this spirit that we have gathered around the Aladdin Project. We call on all men and women of conscience around the world to work with us in this common endeavour of shared knowledge, mutual respect and peace.

The Aladdin Project 8, rue de Prague - 75012 Paris

Tél : +33 (0)1 43 07 25 76 Fax : +33 (0)1 43 07 73 27

www.projetaladin.org www.aladdinlibrary.org [email protected]