Business Ethics and the Holocaust -- Lessons Learned and Their Impact on the Economy, Media, and Culture

It is a pleasure to be here today and to address this important conference on business ethics and the Holocaust. My comments will focus on the U.S. Department of State’s efforts to seek a measure of justice for Holocaust victims and their families.

Sixty-one years after the liberation of the death camps in Europe, it is still imperative to examine that horrid tragedy and to challenge past actions and behavior to help ensure a more tolerant and humane society at present. Doing so, while difficult and painful, is a very important step in exposing the unthinkable ways that hatred and bigotry can lead if unchecked.

Notice that I say looking at our past is just one "step". There is still much work to be done. Surprisingly, in the case of the Holocaust, what should be universally accepted "lessons-learned" are often forgotten, ignored or challenged.

ANTI SEMITISM

This is obvious in the fact that Anti-Semitism continues to plague our world. Anti-Semitism dehumanizes individuals and destroys communities. Anti-Semitism, simply put, is prejudice and hatred against Jews because of their religion and ethnicity. Increasingly, it also manifests itself as strong anti-Israel sentiment that crosses the line between objective criticism of Israel and its policies, and the demonization of Israel and its people.

For example, the President of Iran not only refuses to recognize the existence of the Holocaust, -- claiming that Europeans "created a myth in the name of the Holocaust" -- but also has called Israel a "disgraceful blot" that should be "wiped off the map."

Anti-Semitism, however, is not just espoused by anti-Western and anti-Israel radical leaders. In the past decade, we have observed growing anti-Jewish sentiment across Europe. The European Union Monitoring Center has identified France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Belgium and the Netherlands as the EU member countries with the most notable increases.

Fortunately, these five countries have taken affirmative steps to combat anti-Semitism by condemning anti-Semitic acts, enacting new legislation to punish hate crimes, and launching law enforcement and educational efforts. For example, in November, various leading Holocaust deniers were arrested in Belgium and are awaiting trial, indicating the cooperation and desire of some governments to join us in the fight against anti-Semitism.

Such efforts on the part of many European governments have had some success. Recent figures appear to indicate that incidents of anti-Semitic crimes – after peaking in 2004 -- have dropped in some Western European countries in 2005. The U.K., for instance experienced a 14% drop in anti-Semitic incidents in 2005 from the previous year. In France, anti-Semitic acts of violence in 2005 decreased by more than 33% over 2004. Of course, however, this encouraging trend is now overshadowed by the shocking news that on February 13^th, Ilam Halimi, a 21-year-old Jew, was found hooded and burned, with parts of his body cut off, by a gang led by French Arabs who read the Quran on the telephone to Halimi’s family while he was tortured.

While overall we are encouraged by improving statistics in western Europe, occurrences of anti-Semitism have risen in eastern Europe, most notably in Russia and the Ukraine.

• Some recent examples of anti-Jewish attitudes in this region range from anti-Semitic sentiments in newspapers to acts of violence – in other words from the most subtle to the most vile.
  
  
• For example, recently the production of a new kosher bread in Belarus caused a string of anti-Semitic newspaper articles, calling the act of making something kosher "sacrilegious and anti-Christian."
  
  
• In a more violent instance, in August of last year, two Jewish students were attacked in Kiev by a group of 10 skinheads who used bottles, sticks, and knives, severely wounding the students.
  
  
• In January, eight worshippers at a synagogue in downtown Moscow were stabbed in broad daylight by an assailant who yelled anti-Semitic threats during the attacks.

These inexcusable crimes are signs that the lingering hate that caused the Holocaust still remain, and that these reprehensible acts cannot be ignored. Our efforts must persevere in eliminating the dangerous attitudes against the Jewish people that are far too prevalent in various countries and communities.

STATE DEPARTMENT REPORT

In recognition of an alarming increase in global anti-Semitism, Congress enacted the Global Anti-Semitism Act of 2004. As President Bush said when he signed this act, "Defending freedom means also disrupting the evil of anti-Semitism."

As part of this legislation, the Secretary of State was directed to issue a report documenting acts of Anti-Semitism worldwide. This report, written by my office – the Office of Holocaust Issues – along with the State Department’s Human Rights Bureau, was released just over a year ago on January 5. It is based on information provided by our embassies as well as non-governmental organizations that monitor and report on anti-Semitism. The report itself covers anti-Semitic activities and incidents that occurred in 62 countries from the period of July 2003 through mid-December 2004. The report has a strong focus on European countries. This is in part because European countries maintain better statistics on anti-Semitism and other hate crimes than many other nations.

UNITED NATIONS

While this report is informative and a useful tool in exposing negative trends in certain countries, it is not enough to just record anti-Semitic incidents. The United States must partner with foreign governments and institutions to eradicate these incidents. In this light, the U.S. is proud to have been one of the sponsors of a November United Nations General Assembly resolution designating January 27 as an annual day of Holocaust commemoration. I was present at that important event and honored to be among hundreds of Holocaust survivors. Part of the UN resolution calls for the UN to develop an outreach program on Holocaust remembrance and education in concert with civil societies and Member States working with UN Under Secretary General for Communications and Public Information

MULTILATERAL ORGANIZATION FOR SECURITY AND COOPERATION IN EUROPE

In addition to working with the UN, the United States also continues to fortify its partnership with the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. The OSCE, with its 55 participating States, is dedicated to combating all forms of racism, xenophobia, anti-Semitism and discrimination. It does this through its Warsaw-based Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), which:

• collects and distributes information and statistics on hate crimes in the participating States;
  
  
• promotes best practices and disseminates lessons learned in the fight against intolerance and discrimination;
  
  
• and provides assistance to participating States in drafting and reviewing legislation on crimes fuelled by intolerance and discrimination."
  
  
• The OSCE also co-ordinates activities in these fields with other European and UN organizations such as the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance, the European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia, and the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.

INTERNATIONAL TASK FORCE ON HOLOCAUST EDUCATION

The U.S. is also a founding member of the International Holocaust Education Task Force, which consists of representatives of government, as well as governmental and non-governmental organizations. Its purpose is to place political and social leaders’ support behind the need for Holocaust education, remembrance, and research both nationally and internationally. The Task Force currently has twenty-four member countries: all of which must be committed to the Declaration of the Stockholm International Forum on the Holocaust and must also be dedicated to the implementation of national policies and programs in support of Holocaust education, remembrance, and research.

U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT – HOLOCAUST EDUCATION

In a similar vein, for the past 5 years, the U.S. Department of State, in cooperation with the Association of Holocaust Organizations and the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, has organized summer teacher-training programs in the United States to foster Holocaust education. To date, this initiative has brought a total of 95 teachers from 13 countries to various U.S. institutions for training seminars.

I am pleased to say that these programs have been highly successful; the teachers who attended were exposed to new and different methods of teaching the Holocaust, and they were able to gain new perspectives on the challenges of teaching this topic simply by interacting with one another. Preparations for the summer 2006 session are already underway: the Association of Holocaust Organizations and the Holocaust Museum have identified 12 U.S. colleges, museums, and other organizations in the U.S. who will host one week programs for over 30 participants. This year we look forward to expanding the number of participating countries.

UNRESOLVED ISSUES – HOLOCAUST

The United States Government continues to take proactive steps, not only to combat global anti-Semitism, but also to address lingering issues relating to property restitution and compensation from the Holocaust era.

Over 60 years after the end of World War II, a number of Holocaust issues still remain unresolved both for survivors and the next generations of their families. As you know, not only did the Nazis murder six million Jews, but they also stole homes, furnishings, bank accounts, life insurance policies and other forms of wealth. The Nazis also conducted a systematic program of seizing and destroying countless Jewish community properties – synagogues, schools and community centers. After the War, the newly established communist governments in Europe simply took over property seized earlier by the Nazis. Restitution of property behind the Iron Curtain was generally not possible until the end of the Cold War. Today, the restitution of private and communal property in Central and Eastern Europe – though it remains a most sensitive issue – is an area in which we have expended considerable time and effort to achieve a "measure of justice." The Office of Holocaust Issues has been actively involved in facilitating negotiations and the implementation of various agreements on the subject of Holocaust-era claims. Class action suits in the United States in the 1990's set the stage for the negotiation of a settlement agreement with Swiss Banks and executive agreements with Germany, France, and Austria that deal with claims arising from unpaid Holocaust-era insurance policies, the use of forced and slave labor, the illegal seizure of private and communal property, and other personal injuries. To date, the German fund has paid out $5.4 billion dollars in restitution payments to more than 1.6 million people. French funds have paid out $24.7 million to more than 10,000 people who suffered bank account losses. Austrian funds have also made payments of over $546 million to over 130,000 people, with 19,000 more anticipated recipients and an additional $210 million above and beyond the $546 million already paid out. In addition to these payments, Austria has allocated $112 million for nursing home care for survivors, through Austrian Social Security. Finally, the International Commission for Holocaust Era Insurance Claims, known as ICHEIC, has paid out approximately $180 million on insurance policies issued to Holocaust victims. This amount has been paid to 37,000 survivors and heirs.

A MEASURE OF JUSTICE

Of course, no amount of money can ever compensate for the pain, suffering, and loss of life that took place in concentration camps of Europe. However, our goal is to try to provide Holocaust victims, and in some cases their families, with a measure of justice. Approximately 10 percent of survivors pass away each year, so it is very important to expedite the compensation payments.

TODAY AND FUTURE – DARFUR

Before I conclude my remarks, I’d like to bring us to the here and now –current times – and point out, sadly, that the lessons of the Holocaust have yet to be fully learned. Despite the words "never again," the Holocaust, tragically, is not the most recent example of genocide. In the last sixty years, more human suffering has taken place in Cambodia, the Balkans, Rwanda and currently, in Darfur. Thus, it is our duty, as members of the international community, to be even more vigilant in taking decisive action to stop atrocities in the first place.

I’d like to conclude with a quote from Judea Pearl – father of slain Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl – who I had the pleasure of meeting at the UN’s Holocaust Commemoration day. Mr. Pearl reminded us that, "Remembrance is a call for vigilance. But remembrance in silence, even a vigilant one, betrays those who we remember…Remembrance is a safeguard only if accompanied by vigilance and timely action." And so our actions will be guided by our memories of what was, and our knowledge of what continues.