HKHTC Statement on the Attack on the State of Israel

2023-10-09T16:23:33+08:00Tags: |

On October 7, 2023, a series of unprecedented large-scale and coordinated terrorist atrocities were perpetrated against the State of Israel. Israel finds itself in an ongoing state of war and national emergency.

Many friends and partners of the Hong Kong Holocaust and Tolerance Centre (HKHTC) find themselves under deadly attack.

We at the HKHTC stand in solidarity with Israel and our friends and partners there.

We hope and pray for their safety and mourn their losses.

We extend our most heartfelt sympathies to all the bereaved families who lost loved ones to these heinous and senseless terrorist attacks.

We strongly condemn terrorism.

We stand firm in the fight against antisemitism and intolerance.

We firmly reject any pretence to deny the State of Israel the right to exist and live in peace.

We welcome all efforts to bring about a peaceful resolution to a conflict which has caused so much human suffering.

The State of Israel is home to over 147,000 direct survivors of the Shoah. Many escaped the unimaginable barbarism of the Holocaust to rebuild their lives – and families – in Israel. Reports suggest that a wheel-chair bound Holocaust survivor was among the people abducted and currently held hostage.

Statement on the Tragic Shootings in Colorado Springs, Colorado

2022-11-23T07:36:00+08:00Tags: |

HKHTC sends its heartfelt condolences to the families and friends of the victims of the tragic shootings at Club Q in Colorado Springs, Colorado. We condemn this horrific act of hatred and intolerance, motivated by homophobia. This senseless attack is a poignant reminder of the necessity of tolerance education. It remains critical that we further strengthen efforts to teach the importance of non-discrimination, while promoting peaceful co-existence among peoples of different backgrounds and sexual orientations.

Statement on the Racist Mass Shooting in Buffalo

2022-05-16T21:44:37+08:00Tags: |

HKHTC mourns the victims of the horrific shootings in Buffalo, New York. Our heartfelt condolences go out to the family and friends of the victims, as well as the communities targeted by the instigator of this brutal hate crime. This tragic attack — motivated by ethnic supremacist ideology — illustrates the continued necessity of tolerance education. It is imperative that we continue to strengthen efforts to teach the importance of non-discrimination and promote peaceful co-existence among peoples of different backgrounds.

On the Importance of Holocaust Education: A Statement by HKHTC

2022-01-13T23:31:38+08:00Tags: |

As the United Nations Holocaust Memorial Day 2022 is approaching, HKHTC board member Professor Glenn Timmermans wrote an op-ed piece on the importance of Holocaust education in the January edition of the Portuguese Jewish News, a newspaper for the Jewish community in Portugal, Europe and the world.

Please click here to read the article.

 

HK press speaks with HKHTC Executive Director on Shanghai Ghetto history

2021-04-04T15:44:43+08:00Tags: |

Shanghai’s Forgotten Jewish Past & Hong Kong 

猶太人逃難戰時上海 | 猶太大屠殺歷史被遺忘的那些事

As the Holocaust Remembrance Day (Yom HaSahoah) is approaching in April, Hong Kong’s Apple Daily speaks with HKHTC Executive Director & Columbia University’s Historical Dialogue Fellow Simon Li on how wartime Shanghai saved more than 20,000 Jews from the Holocaust and the role of Hong Kong in this forgotten episode of history. (Content in Chinese only)

Click here to read the story and view the video report.

 

Statement on the Atlanta Mass Shootings and Asian Discrimination

2021-03-24T13:45:00+08:00Tags: |

HKHTC mourns the victims of the horrific series of shootings in Atlanta, Georgia. Our heartfelt condolences go out to the family and friends of the victims, as well as those of Asian descent throughout the United States. With the challenges of handling the Coronavirus pandemic exposing divisions and prejudices throughout society, this brutal attack reminds us of the continued necessity for tolerance education. It is imperative that we further strengthen efforts to teach the importance of non-discrimination, while promoting peaceful co-existence among peoples of different backgrounds.

Statement on Coronavirus-related incidents of discrimination and violence

2020-06-11T21:21:19+08:00Tags: |

The Coronavirus outbreak poses a grave health risk to millions of people across the globe. Authorities have imposed unprecedented restrictions to ordinary life to reduce the rate of infections. This disease threatens not only its victims and their loved ones, as well as the ability of health systems to treat the sick, but it also runs the risk of damaging the core values that underpin society.

The Hong Kong Holocaust and Tolerance Centre (“HKHTC”) is concerned about – and strongly condemns – the large number of incidents in different countries of Coronavirus-related discrimination, stereotyping and physical violence. People have been attacked in the streets, school-children bullied and online, racist vitriol is rampant.

In these intensely testing times, it is imperative to remember that a disease knows no boundaries and does not distinguish among people. It affects ALL HUMANS regardless of their racial, ethnic, religious, linguistic, national, social or cultural backgrounds.

This disease will not be overcome by blame, prejudice and hatred, which will exacerbate the challenges we all face. It can only be fought effectively in an effort BY ALL to temporarily minimise social contact, by strictly adhering to good hygiene and enabling the world’s leading scientists to develop proven cures and vaccines, as well as by showing solidarity with those who need our help. It is at times like this that we should continue showing kindness, empathy and compassion to all those around us.

Through its educational programming, HKHTC is dedicated to promoting tolerance and compassion among all peoples as an essential key to a healthier and better world for everyone.

HKHTC Executive Director Simon K. Li Discussed the Rise of Anti-Semitic Attacks on FM88.1 Commercial Radio

2020-01-24T00:01:04+08:00Tags: |

As we enter into the new year of 2020, acts of anti-Semitism are on the rise in New York and elsewhere, leaving Jewish community rattled. HKHTC Executive Director Simon K. Li recently discussed the rise of anti-Semitic attacks on FM88.1 Commercial Radio’s “Clearday Breakfast”.

新年伊始,反猶主義繼續在美國崛起,據統計,2019年因歧視犯罪的受害者增幅達22%,歐洲包括法國及英國等地有店家遭反猶標誌塗鴉,也有猶太墓園遭破壞。香港猶太大屠殺及寬容中心行政總監、歷史學者李家豪最近在商台雷霆881《晴朗早晨全餐》 節目內討論西方社會近期出現的反猶暴力事件。

UN Holocaust Memorial Day Commemoration 2020: South China Morning Post’s Coverage

2020-02-12T15:42:35+08:00
As the world commemorates the 75th anniversary of Auschwitz liberation today, our UNHMD guest Holocaust survivor Eva Schloss recounts how she was torn from her happy childhood in Vienna and ‘saved’ from the concentration camp’s angel of death, Josef Mengele, by a hat. The full feature from the South China Morning Post can be read here

UN Holocaust Memorial Day Commemoration 2020: Ming Pao Daily’s Coverage

2020-01-28T00:11:50+08:00

The International Holocaust Memorial Day issue of Ming Pao Daily, which is widely read among local intellectuals, has published a feature article on Holocaust survivor Eva Schloss, covering her life story and her views on the rise of anti-Semitic attacks, along with a story on HKHTC’s recent Holocaust Memorial Day commemoration and local school tour. Please click here to read the full story.

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