AHF remarks for ADL Daniel Pearl award to Pilar Rahola

Speech from Abraham Foxman

Anti-semitism, racism, delegitimization of Israel and Terrorism are among some of the major issues with which the Anti-Defamation League is engaged.

We monitor, expose, analyse, speak out, and edúcate about theses ills that attack us as jews and society at large our goa lis to maximize public awareness and hope that good people will stand up against them, sending a message to anti-semites, racists, Israel bashers and terrorist that their views and actions are unacceptable.

From the student to the office manager to the athlete to the celebrity to the elected oficial to the journalist, we hope the message will be strongly articulated.

One who did just that was Daniel Pearl, the Young, dedicated Wall Street Journal reporter who was abducted and killed in Pakistan in 2002 while pursuing a story about international terrorism. Danny was a proud jew, the son of Israeli parents and he hope done day to see Israelis and Palestinians living side by side in peace.

He believed in building bridges among peoples and he did so through his excellent reporting and his love of music.

Intent on building cultural bridges, intent on bringing his American readers the facts on the ground in the aftermath of 9/11, Danny was lured by those who wished, instead, to burn bridges.

In the last moments of his captivity, Danny´s kidnappers forced him tos ay, as if admitting some horrible secret: “I am a Jew. My mother is a jew. My father is a Jew”- And then they did their worst, and ended Danny´s brilliant life.

Then, in what can only be termed the most vicious moral indignity, they used the videotape of his muerder as a recruiting tool for further terrorism.

To memoralize Danny and through the caring and generosity of long-time friends and ADL supporters, George and Ruth Moss of Los Angeles, the Anti-Defamation League established the ADL DANIEL PEARL AWARD.

It is given to a person who has made a positive impacto n the image of Jews and Judaism, be it in journalism, interfaith, human relations, politics, diplomacy, cultura or other arenas.

By this award, ADL seeks to reignite the spark of Danny Pearls´s life, career, and the principals by which he lived.

Danny lived the truth that “the pen is mightier tan the sword”, for he used his words to instruct, to make people see things fresh and with a new understanding, and to bring light into dark corners.

Before we meet this year´s recipient, I want to take a moment to let you know we are in the midst of the ANNUAL DANIEL PEARL WORL MUSIC DAYS, an international network of concerts using the power of music to reaffirm our commitment to tolerance and humanity.

Since 2002, Daniel Pearl World Music days has grown to include the participation of more tan 4.900 performances in 102 countries.

In a letter of Greetings to participants, president Obama said, and I quote: “These events honor the legacy of Daniel Pearl; and help lift up countless lives… Le tus recommit to promoting tolerance and fellowship throughout the world”.

And so we do. This year we are pleased to recognize PILAR RAHOLA, a spanish, catalan journalist in the Danny Pearl model. She has been outspoken on the issue of anti-semitism, making it one of her priorities. She

is a fervent fighter against media distortion and the current deligitimization of the state of Israel.

In a speech to the Global Forum For Combating Anti-Semitism in Jerusalem in decembrer 2009 Ms. Rahola said: “Just as it is imposible to completely explain the historical evil of anti-semitism, it is also not possible to totally explain the present-day imbecility of anti-israelism.

Both drink from the fountain of intolerance and lie.

If, also we accept that anti-israelism is the new form of anti-semitism, we conclude that contingencies may have changed, but the deepest myths, both of the Medieval Christian anti-semitism and of the modern political anti-semitism, are still intact”

She was born and raised in Barcelona in a traditional catholic and staunchly republican family. As an activist against injustice she bécame outraged by the manner in which blatant anti-semitism had made its way into leftist ideology and pollite society unchecked and is deeply concerned about the high levels of anti-jewish sentiments in her native Spain and in other european countries.

“I feel jewish becausse I am a European, and that is the only moral condition that can redeem a european from his or her own shameful past”, she has said.

Ms Rahola writes for La Vanguardia newspaper and Works for other print, TV, and radio media.

She has published many books both in catalan and spanish, including a reference text on BEHALF OF ISRAEL, with numerous translations.

For her dedicated commitment to an honest and accountable journalistic code of ethics and for speaking honestly to the public, we are honored to present the 2010 ADL DANIELA PEARL AWARD TO PILAR RAHOLA.