New York, N.Y., June 21, 2001 … The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) today announced that the ninth annual Albert Finkelstein Memorial Campus Editors Study Mission would depart for Israel, as scheduled, in mid-August.

"The situation in the Middle East did not deter applicants," said Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director. "In fact, we received an overwhelming response from campus editors nationwide despite these difficult days. Understanding the complexities of the situation on the ground in Israel, and seeing for themselves, first-hand, how Israelis live, attracted many of the applicants. The mission is a go."

This year’s 18 participants were selected from colleges and universities nationwide and all hold a leadership position on their campus newspapers. Before traveling to Israel, the group will make stops in Poland, where they will visit Auschwitz, the infamous Nazi death camp, and in Bulgaria, to see how the government, church and people united to save the Bulgarian Jewish community during the Holocaust.

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.