Sent: Monday, 5 September 2011, 2:48
Dear Toney,
Thank you for the several messages on the Freiburg Conference. I am happy to read your views and to report back on the position of the conference on two specific areas of mutual concern. The organizers and participants adhere to the following:
1. Participants are entitled to express their views and to have their opinions debated in the open. All individuals are entitled to participate and have their views heard. No individual wishing to participate will be excluded.
2. No one at the Freiburg Conference (including Gilad Atzmon) doubts or questions the occurrence of the Holocaust. The Holocaust is a historical event and is an integral part of the modern human narrative. No one particular ethnic group has a monopoly over the legacy of the Holocaust.
As an activist in issues of social justice and peace, I am saddened by the accusatory tone of the some of the correspondence on the conference. It behooves all of us to engage in open discussions regarding all issues of mutual interest in the hope of arriving at a common ground and to build a movement where all of us feel a sense of belonging.
I do not think anyone of us have answers to all the outstanding questions. But together, we will keep the true meaning of the Holocaust alive and strive to build a common peaceful future for Palestinians (Israeli Jews, Christians, Muslims, and others) in historic Palestine.
I look forward to continued dialogue between us! Samir Abed-Rabbo PS: Have you asked the organizers of the Conf. to include a pnel on BDS or offered to organize one?
