New York, NY, August 29, 1997...The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) today protested to the United Nations agency charged with coordinating postal services, the omission of Israel from its international publications.

In a letter to Thomas Leavey, Director General of the Universal Postal Union (UPU), Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director, said he was "shocked to learn that Israel has been omitted from the Universal Postal Union's list of international postal codes, and that for years it has been left off of other UPC publications." Urging the matter be immediately rectified, Mr. Foxman said that the agency's action directly contradicts its goal of promoting international cooperation and its utility as an international postal code resource.

Founded in 1874 and based in Berne, Switzerland, the UPU is the international agency coordinating national postal services. It became a specialized agency of the United Nations in 1947. Consisting of 189 member nations, it is administered by a council of 40 members, including the United States.

A copy of Mr. Foxman's letter was shared with the Michael Regan, who represents the United States Postal Service on the UPU administrative council.

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.