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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 23, 2004

SCHUMER SECURES $500,000 FOR TOOLS FOR TOLERANCE PROGRAM

Funding Part of the FY 2005 Omnibus Appropriations Bill

Funds will be used for acclaimed Tools for Tolerance program at the Simon Wiesenthal Center

US Senator Charles E. Schumer today announced Congress will pass $500,000 in federal funding for the New York Tolerance Center at the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Manhattan. The funding was included in the Commerce, Justice, State and the Judiciary Appropriations section of the Fiscal Year 2005 Omnibus Appropriations bill. The bill now heads to the President for his signature.

"This program provides great tools and resources " Schumer said. "Especially in New York, where our communities are so diverse, this program really helps to promote cooperation, empathy and understanding, and most importantly it reinforces the notion that as individuals we each can make a difference in our communities and workplaces."

The New York Tolerance Center, which is modeled after the successful Tools for Tolerance® Program at the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles, offers one and two day seminars to uniformed and civilian personnel in all law enforcement fields. In addition to law enforcement officers, participants range from educators to public service professionals and corporate professionals. Utilizing interactive workshops, exhibits, and videos, the Tools for Tolerance® program helps participants explore issues of prejudice, diversity, tolerance, and cooperation in the workplace and in the community.

The Simon Wiesenthal Center is an international Jewish human rights organization dedicated to preserving the memory of the Holocaust by promoting tolerance and understanding through community involvement, educational programming, and activism. The Center addresses important contemporary issues including racism, antisemitism, terrorism, and genocide. It has a membership of over 400,000 families, and is headquartered in Los Angeles, with offices in New York City, Toronto, Miami, Jerusalem, Paris, and Buenos Aires.

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