From the JTA news wire:
GENEVA (JTA) — The Geneva Jewish community held a massive outdoor ceremony for Holocaust Memorial Day opposite the United Nations.
The ceremony — featuring speeches by survivor and author Elie Wiesel, French intellectual Bernard-Henri Levi, and former Canadian Minister of Justice Irwin Cotler — took place in the plaza opposite the Palais des Nations, the European seat of the United Nations, just hours after a virulently anti-Israel speech by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Little mention was made of Ahmadinejad during the somber ceremony, which was held under heavy guard. But Cotler, addressing an audience estimated at around 3,000, said that Ahmadinejad’s rhetoric amounted to the crime of incitement to genocide and that confronting him wasn’t a policy option, but an international legal responsibility.
Help ensure Jewish news remains accessible to all. Your donation to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency powers the trusted journalism that has connected Jewish communities worldwide for more than 100 years. With your help, JTA can continue to deliver vital news and insights. Donate today.
