New York, NY, November 21, 2006 … The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) today urged governments of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) to enlist the support of law enforcement in the fight against anti-Semitism.

At an experts' meeting on Best Practices in Combating Anti-Semitism hosted by Germany's parliamentary delegation to the OSCE, David Friedman, ADL Director of Law Enforcement Initiatives, discussed the critical value of partnerships between community groups and law enforcement in building a "climate of trust" to ensure a swift and effective police response to anti-Semitic incidents and hate crimes.

"We have seen time and again that a slow, ineffective police response leads to a kind of second victimization in which the trauma of the attack is compounded by a sense of abandonment by authorities," Mr. Friedman told the OSCE gathering in Berlin.

Mr. Friedman outlined the lessons learned from ADL's experience in training thousands of law enforcement officers and assisting hate crime victims in the United States that could be useful to the participating states of the OSCE as they implement their commitments to address hate crime.  He also highlighted ADL model law enforcement training programs underway in the U.S. and Europe.

While in Germany, ADL also met with German Ministry of Interior officials to outline areas of potential cooperation between ADL and German law enforcement.

The Anti-Defamation League, founded in 1913, is the world's leading organization fighting anti-Semitism through programs and services that counteract hatred, prejudice and bigotry.