Send Page to a Friend JCRC Condemns Iranian Government Sponsored Holocaust Denial (December 6, 2006) -The Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Boston condemns the Iranian government's international conference questioning the existence of the Holocaust that will take place Monday, December 11th and Tuesday, December 12th in Tehran. Scholars from over 30 countries will present topics such as whether gas chambers were ever used by the Nazis. It is consistent with the outrageous statements made by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad who has claimed on several occasions that the Holocaust was either greatly exaggerated or a complete myth. Ahmedinejad and Iran's Foreign Ministry have also stated that the Jews have used the Holocaust as a "propaganda tool" to promote Israel and Jewish interests. In response to these reckless statements, JCRC Executive Director Nancy K. Kaufman said, "It is unfathomable that a world leader can deny the incontrovertible truth of the Holocaust's occurrence. The shocking claims by the Iranian President show callous disregard for the memory of eleven million innocents, Jews and Gentiles alike, who were murdered at the hands of the Nazis. The conference reiterates Iran's lethal intentions towards Israel and the Jewish community throughout the world." James Segel, President of the JCRC added, "We call upon the international community to reject these words of hatred masquerading as legitimate discourse and recognize that it lays the groundwork for future acts of genocide. The civilized world must stand together to oppose the distortion of history and the defamation of the Jewish people." The Foreign Ministry of Iran is sponsoring the Holocaust denial conference through its Institute for Political and International Studies. The announcement followed soon after a United Nations discussion of possible sanctions on Iran for refusing to halt its nuclear development program.