New York, New York, May 17, 1999 … Leaders of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) told the President of Switzerland that her country needs to take steps at strengthening ties with the Jewish community and should establish a series of tolerance and Holocaust educational programs, now that the settlement on Holocaust-era assets has been realized.

"We believe it is the government’s responsibility to help move the Swiss people away from bitterness and recrimination toward acceptance and understanding," Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director, told President Ruth Dreifuss. Calling the government’s 1998 report on anti-Semitism "honest, hard-hitting and realistic," Mr. Foxman urged that, "the report’s recommendations for counteraction, education and strengthening the forces against anti-Semitism in Swiss society be implemented now."

President Dreifuss expressed the need to "deepen the cooperation" between Switzerland and Jews and outlined steps that her country has undertaken. She said that existing programs and curricular material promoting tolerance are currently being assessed and that new materials are being developed with teachers’ organizations. The President also stated her concern about hate on the Internet.

Mr. Foxman noted that President Dreifuss, as both the first woman and Jewish President of Switzerland, "is a very special symbol at an important time." He added that "Switzerland can be a model in confronting the past and building a new future based on those lessons."

Howard P. Berkowitz, ADL National Chairman, provided the President with information on a variety of successful ADL tolerance and Holocaust educational programs and offered the League’s assistance to the appropriate Swiss institutions, noting that several of the programs are already in use in European countries.

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.