it is not because of intolerance because i have been very careful to wait and amount of time. host: i want dr. hess to have a chance to respond. we're coming up on the end of the show. the caller mentioned a term or from a young age. that sounds more like a central tremor. many patients with a central tremor can go on to develop parkinson's disease. in your case, i think the most important thing is ensure you have accurate diagnosis of front. host: dr. christopher hess, assistant assessor at the university florida center for movement disorders, thank you for joining us today. guest: my pleasure. host: that is all for today. we will be back tomorrow morning at 7:00. have a good saturday. ♪ [captions copyright national

cable satellite corp. 2015] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] >> next, a survivor of hiroshima will talk about her experience. then, a conversation on u.s.-israel relations. the middle rice on east. on monday, the arms control seemaation honored a hero heroes she must survivor.

she spoke about her experience an atomic after bombing and how it influenced her life and work ever since. this is about one hour. >> good morning, everyone. welcome. we are very pleased to see so many of you here today. reporters. for support and contribution of members is what makes our work

possible. thank you very much for all you do for us. we could not be heard today without you. i also want to welcome those of you watching on c-span today following the annual meeting for the next few hours. you can find out more about the arms control association, about our news and information and analysis that we provide about weapons related security challenges and effective .olutions through arms control on can also access analysis our new app. yes, we have an app with the latest on arms control technologies. pp can becontrol a android and apple

devices. we also encourage those of you here today watching to engage with us through twitter, with 16.hashtag, arms control as you can see from the program which is on the table and available through the app, we a very substantive program. in about one hour, an expert panel of four leading experts on preventing the threat of nuclear weapons and nuclear material will discuss major proliferation challenges that they think will face the next president of the united states. we are very honored to have as our second keynote speaker

today, the deputy national security advisor for president barack obama, benjamin rhodes, who will join us from noon to 1:00 to talk about ongoing risk ofto reduce the nuclear weapons and preventing the spread of nuclear weapons. he will also take questions from this audience. that will be very interesting at the noon hour. in the afternoon, we will finish up with a panel discussion on the proposed plan to contain an systems..s. nuclear sympt that will discuss possible options are issues, and choices for the next president and congress while still addressing requirements.se first, this morning, we will begin with our opening keynote theker, and the awarding of

2015 arms control person of the year award. we will be hearing in a few minutes from the setsuko thurlow, who was a 13-year-old at her school went the bomb was detonated on her city. in recognition of her effort and all the survivors of the bombings to ensure that no such again, she wasng nominated for our person of the last year.late to introduce her, and present her with the award, we have the vice-chairman of the arms control association pou board of directors, paul. he is the significance a good in the field in his own right. he was recognized in 2013 as a recipient of the prestigious

award for his decades of service to limit threats posed by chemical weapons. after his introduction of setsuko, we will hear from her, and she will take your questions. if i could invite you up to the , if yound, setsuko could come up also, that would be great. >> good morning, everybody. nice to be here. nice to see so many friendly and recognizable faces in the audience. nice to see we have such good turnout today as well. my name is paul walker. i work with a group called green cross international, founded by mikael gorbachev. he has been head of the group for about 23-24 years now. i'm very delighted to be here today. i have the enjoyable task of

presenting the 2015 arms control person of the year award tosetsuko thurlow. let me say just a few words about the award. i know that many of you know me go overy, but let it a bit. every year since 2007, the arms control association staff has nominated several individuals and institutions that have advanced effective arms control and have raised awareness about the threats of mass casualty weapons. readership in threats weapons related . you can see this since 2007 in your program. thurlosw received the votw in anber of

online poll to determine the 2015 percent of the year. she was nominated for her unwilling dedication for providing first-hand accounts of the catastrophic effects of nuclear weapons which reinforces the taboo of the further use of nuclear weapons and maintain pressure for effective action. by the sharing of their thurlow,d experiences, who now lives in trenton, canada, has played an important role in raising awareness of nuclear weapons use an action to and the threat. it is very fitting that 70 years after the bombing of the cities of nagasaki and hiroshima, our online voters decided to expose

the horrors of nuclear weapons. i cannot imagine being 13 years old and experiencing a nuclear weapon overhead. and, work tirelessly to make sure that nuclear weapons are not used again. rs are an survivo inspiration to those who seek a safer world and a reminder of why a world without nuclear weapons is so important. me give the award here. if you would come up, i will present you on behalf of the whole arms control association. we are delighted and very pleased to have you with us here today. here we go. [applause] thank you.

i will let you now make your presentation. we will try to leave time -- have until about 10:00 -- we will try to leave time for questions and answers. the podium is years. >> thank you so much. i'm so humbled and pleased to i'meive this beautiful -- very happy to be here this morning and meet with you and to .eceive this honor

if you have the chance to talk a little bit about my experiences. and my thoughts and feelings about nuclear weapons. changemade a last-minute in my plans. i'm just speaking from the heart. i put the paper away. really, it was a total shock and surprise to learn that i was going to receive the award from this organization. especially when i learned that people around the world devoted for me. i did not realize that i had so many friends around the world. i felt it was a miracle. but my fellow

theeagues, and members of association in japan. well, let melf as give you my heartfelt thank you's. use the word, miracle, lightly, or really, 71 years ago, i did experience a miracle, and here i am in your company today. i thought i would share my personal experience with you. you are experts, arms control specialist.

i'm sure you are informed and knowledgeable of all kinds of human conditions, including humanitarian consequences of nuclear weapons. offer my i would personal experience. in 1945, i was a 13 year old, grade eight student. thehat very day, i was at headquarters, and a group of about 30 girls had been and did the recruiting work of the top-secret information. it shows how desperate japan was . i met the girls in front of the

8:00 and thee headquarters, which was eight kilometers from the ground -- i was on the second floor for the morning assembly. our said, yes, we will do best. thew the lights flash in window. i had the sensation of floating in the air. and i gained consciousness darkness, i simply tried to move my body, and i could not move it. i started hearing whispers and

voices. mother -- god help me, mother, help me. suddenly, the strong voices -- don't give up, i'm trying to free you. he kept shaking my left shoulder from behind. you keep pushing, and you see the sun through the opening. get out that way. crawl as quickly as possible. by the time i came out of the building, it was completely on fire. that meant that 30 other girls who were with me were burned to death. two other girls managed to come out. the three of us looked around. although it happened in the

morning, it was very dark. dark like twilight. jetarted seeing a dark approaching me. be a string ofo human beings. they did not look like human beings. their hair was standing straight up. .hey were bleeding parts of the bodies were bleeding. flesh was hanging from the bones. some were carrying their own eyeballs. as they collapsed onto the offnd, their stomach first and they stretched out.

if you girlsaid, escape to the nearby hills -- that is what we did, by carefully stepping over the dead bodies. it was a strange situation. no one was running. they just did not have that kind of strength left. water.dy was asking for lightly injured. the nearby stream and washed off blood and dirt.

we took a wash rag and held it over the mouth of the dying people. you see, the place where we escaped to have the military training ground, a huge place. a place about the size of two football fields. it was packed with the dead and dying. we wanted to help, but everybody wanted water. that is why i waited -- it was all we could do. i've looked around to see if there were any doctors or nurses . i saw none of them in that huge place. that meant that tens of thousands of people in that space or without medication.

attention, dedication , nothing was provided for them, just a few jobs of water. that was the level of the so-called rescue operation. it was awful. we kept her cells busy all day .oing that of course, all the doctors and nurses who were killed too was another percentage, but they were serving people somewhere else. when the darkness fell, we had three girls together with hundreds of people who escaped the place. and felt, we watched

massive scene of depaths and suffering. i was not responding appropriately. something happened to my psyche. situation, the sensation takes place automatically. i'm glad of the explanation because if we responded perfectlly to every thing i witnessed, i could not have survived. that is the end of the very day. other people can tell about

being near the river and the rivers full of floating dead bodies, and so on, by did not see the river that day. . i will tell you about a few people in my family, my friends, how they lost their lives. just how thee you bombs affected human beings. i talk about three girls who were with me. the rest of the students were at the city center, the city was trying to establish the fire lanes to be prepared for the raid. the grade seven and eight students from the high school .ere recruited and brought

papers are still missing. there were several thousand students, 8000, or so. they simply disappeared from the face of the earth.

the temperature, i understand .as about 4000 degrees celsius another story i can tell us who came theer night before to visit us. in the morning, they were walking over a bridge to the medical clinic. both of them were burned beyond recognition. by the time i saw them the next day, their bodies were swollen twice or three times larger than foral they kept begging water. when they died, the soldier dug body.

i was a 13-year-old girl and was motionless the watching it. that memory probably for many years -- what kind of human being and my? my dear sister being treated like an animal or insect, or whatever. there is nothing human associated with that kind of .reation

i could forgive myself after learning how our psyche responds in situations like that. childthe image of this which is burned in my right not, always there. that is my driving force for my a cat in -- activism. it is a special being, a special .emory if she were alive, she would be 75 today. a shocking thought.

the innocent and children, we need to protect each of them. let me tell you another example bomb affectedmic human beings. favorite uncle and aunt survives. they were ok. it's not have any visible signs of injury. several days later, we started hearing different stories. they got sick, very sick. , my parents went over

and started looking after them. their body started showing purple spots all over the body. , theying to my brother .re rotten, dissolving innards came out. my mother used all the material, newspaper, everything to use as was their waythat of dying. radiation worked in many mysterious and random ways. some are killed immediately,

some, one week later, others, a month later. 71 years later, people are still dying from the effects of radiation. now, another survivor, his struggle was unexplainable. he was surviving -- and, the unprecedented social chaos due

and occupationat .f forces took control over us thehey start giving detailed story, it would take the whole morning. maybe i will stop. was very difficult. friends in japan -- upon graduation, i was offered a scholarship, so i came to .irginia, very close that was 1964. united states tested the biggest bomb inbomb -- hydrogen

the south pacific at the time and created the kind of like the nagasaki and hiroshima experience. pacific. continued andtes it is when japan became fully of nucleare nature weapons developing. at that time, i left japan, virginia in august. i was interviewed by the president. i gave my honest opinion. i was fresh out of college, and i believed in honesty.

i told them what i thought that the united states nuclear policy was bad, and they had to stop, and looking at all of the killings and damage to the environment. and in the pacific, it had to stop. the next day, i started howeiving hate letters -- dare you, who do you think you are, go home, go back to japan. just a few days after my arrival, i encountered this kind of situation, and i was horrified. it was quite the experience. what am i going to do chuckle i backarrived, i cannot go and they cannot put the zipper over my mouth and pretend i don't know anything. would i be able to survive chuckle i spend one week without

going to the classrooms, i just .ad to be alone it was a painful and lonely time. anyone. knew that i cameo say with a moretrauma determined and stronger conviction. if i do not speak up, who will? it is my moral responsibility to .hare my experience see, this is just the beginning race. new clues nuclear arms that was the beginning.

all right. time.minded of my explained briefly why i have been doing what i have been doing. most of my life, i have been speaking to high schools, ies, rotary clubs, anywhere where people want to learn what it means to live in a nuclear gauge from my perspective. i know the government says one thing, but this is what i feel because i experienced it. . thought it was important i am suggested that i should stop [laughter] .

[applause] you. setsuko.you very much, it is extremely moving, as always to hear the stories from nagasaki.and all victims can relate to this to some extent because they have suffered and continue to suffer health illnesses from radiation poisoning over the world. i will open it up to questions now. i will post the first question uko to get the ball

rolling. we have 25 minutes, i think, to continue discussion. first of all, give us a sense of how you came for from virginia, where i'm so glad you were determined to speak truth to power -- as you would virginia to toronto, canada? caught a scholarship to come to virginia. the school came he a full scholarship. by that time, i had some sort of idea that i wanted to become a social worker. in the chaotic situation, everybody needed help. my church minister dedicated his .ife in supporting those people

i wanted to become a helping person, somebody who can help and contribute to society. for that, i needed a social worker. at that time, japan was not quite well established. i came here to study directly from japan. >> to the united states or to canada? the united states, then i went to university toronto and did further studies. then, i went back to japan and did social work. 1962, i got married, i had children at that time. be all came back to toronto in 1962. ever since, i have been a permanent resident of canada and have done social work all my life. >> i give you enormous credit

for sticking with it this long, so many years. it is very important that you do. i think no one -- practically no , exceptas experienced for those who survived the bombings, of real nuclear weapons explosion. it is not usual for people to understand what nuclear weapons are about. with that, let me turn to the audience. i know there are many questions, but a think i would rather turn to you to give you the opportunity to ask questions. please introduce yourself first. because we are on c-span, let me emphasize, we for the microphone. leibovitz. i was wondering what people thought happened. obviously japan had experienced from non-nuclear

weapons, but here was something .hat was one explosion what did they think had happened when the blast came? my immediate reaction was, finally, americans got us. no one knew about a new type of weapon. we thought it was the usual incendiary bomb because the united states started indiscriminate attack of major cities. by the time, about 70% of the cities were all rubble. tokyo, on of thousands of people were killed.

out of thousands of bombs, only the trick. most of the cities disappeared. no, we had no idea. it took some time before we knew clearly what it was. the government and a new type of bomb that was used. that is all that we knew. >> yes? right in the middle. >> i am from italy. be many questions.

we are alive and it is a miracle . what is very important is -- one of awareness the major events was present .bama's visit to hiroshima way to the best perpetrate testimony and awareness and education of

people, in your view? momentum ofthe awareness. thank you. >> a brought 600 reporters to the city. he has that kind of power and influence. eight interviews, a tv iplace -- oming to

think we can intensify our efforts to make this issue credible and visible. i don't think we're doing enough. i think the government is not people to learn what it is like to live in the nuclear age. maybe they think the ministry or department of education area should be doing a better job. as i know, in japan, and in canada, and some of the united states, i don't think the system -- school system is doing a good .ob either

and, the families homes anyway, everybody -- education systems, -- thee government government can look at the reality and improve the situation. about the survivors, numbers are

dwindling. they have been leaving us with the dream of abolition in their lifetime unfulfilled. it is very sad. i really take my hat off for the way they have dedicated their , near and far. theye, at the same time, disappointed and don't quite feel rewarded. the public's attention to us is limited. when i first came to the united fine., people were just

i'm afraid to say that even today the majority of people maintain the mentality. that is how limited progress will be made in the knowledge. am wrong. i would like to hear other people's opinions on this. then i willt here, come over and then go to the back. the know that you spoke on impact of nuclear weapons and were recently at the working group in geneva on the elimination of nuclear weapons and the stigmatization. i would like you to speak a little bit about the humanitarian initiative.

>> i have been working on the issue of nuclear disarmament for many years. time, i felt that so much work was being done. people put so much emphasis on and deterrence. the believe all of associated topics. they were catching up with government progress in mind. gosh, to feel, my

it is those things that they did to humanity, what happened to their lives. somehow,city struggle that kind of attention was lacking. ago, when they started talking about the impact of nuclear weapons, i thought, -- the realtime issue of importance. put inside -- no, i don't think that is what people were saying. i was delighted.

i was delighted to see the interestntiment, the world.topic around the not the older people, but the giver people -- they come good people. they are very awake to push this idea. . was very pleased i am part of this movement. and, another thing, which pleased me was also nuclear the legaltes have

obligations to work towards article six,under but, they have a wonderful feeling of the obligation, and not much was happening. it was a huge disappointment when i learned it has been in existence for 45 years. what has it produced? the majority of nuclear weapon states have said, we have waited for nuclear weapons states to take the lead and work for the disarmament. we are not going to wait anymore, we're going to stand up and join her hands together and work with ngos and civil society. cross, civil and weapon states,

they are all working together, working for prohibition and elimination of nuclear weapons bindinging legally instrument. the majority of the nuclear impatient,tes are so the lack of progress by the , they want to -- .hings are not happening there

we are working out the most effective measures to achieve elimination, prohibition, and so on. the entire world is to wake up this is great. an additional four nuclear -- nine states want to keep what they have, and choose their obligation. seems that the whole world is

realize the the s shared responsibility. a lot of young people are involved in this movement. me. is very good news for we have people to work with and some good ideas are coming out. you people know all about that. >> this is a group of experts, but some note a little more and some no a little less. it is wonderful to hear your impressions, which are very .pecial and extremely important we don't hear from them that much, even in washington, d.c. it is very good.

dateve made progress to largely because of people like yourself and your colleagues who have made a stand and are said, truth to power to the humanitarian impact of nuclear weapons. i think it is 100.6 countries that have signed the pledge. 127 now. i stand corrected. theill try to keep questions brief and get to .verybody >> i am martin. i work with physicians for social responsibility. , work with our mutual friends a doctor who sends his greetings. you just answered a lot of my questions. physicians for social responsibility is working with the international cap deigned to

abolish nuclear weapons to promote the prohibition and elimination of nuclear weapons and i agree with you about the new momentum that is happening. there is a lot of skepticism here in the united states about ty. prohibition trea none of the nuclear weapons states -- pretty much all of them are opposing it. none of them have supported it. none of the so-called umbrella states that are under the nuclear umbrella have supported it. that we willistic still achieve such a treaty, despite all the opposition? >> i know they seem to be

several different approaches in achieving provision -- prohibition. said, lawyers for as he said, those differences of emphasis and approaches can be worked out. weapon it is a nuclear convention ban treaty, i think a bit of difference can be worked out. prohibits and solves the use of nuclear weapons. certainly, we can achieve it. why not? weekend sees this opportunity. the time is now.

if we don't seize this opportunity, and i know mr. obama talked about maybe this will not happen in our lifetime. why? if there is a strong political will, it could happen, it can happen. yes, i'm still hopeful and believe it can happen. a lot of people are pushing for it. if we can get other people to join in the effort and keep pushing -- why not? why don't we communicate strong feelings to the president, even before he leaves office? we cannot afford to wait .enerations and generations 71 years is much too long to

wait. . believe we can and we should >> crooks take another couple of questions quickly. there is somebody in the back with their hand up. yes. >> i am kathy robinson. mostly, i really want to say, thank you so much for being here and for all of the work that you have done and continue to do. and amazingmenal that the president went to hiroshima. president, is this with the complicity of the entire u.s. government and congress, is aiming at spending

a trillion dollars over the next 10 years for the next generation of nuclear weapons. we seem to find more money for the next generation of nuclear weapons and not for the next generation of humans in this country. i was wondering if you could comment on that and how the budget priorities are really driving a dangerous future. >> i hear your profound sense of .adness and even anger gave me the invitation to speak with the president, that is one of the first things i would talk about. guess. [applause]

>> that is great. great. really, i don't know what more to say. i feel very disturbed by that. yes, when he turns around, he says beautiful things. i was wishing this time in no.oshima that she would -- i don't know what more to say, really. you know, i have been a social worker all of my life. i work in schools, into counseling for the families, learning disabilities of the children, and so on. those holes are falling apart -- schools are falling apart.

they do not have the budget to buy supplies, and so on. why can we not direct the taxpayer money to the school's? instead, $1 trillion is going to weapons.he wicked i do not even call it weapon. it is a device of mass murder. well, somehow, we have to ask the president to de-prioritize the extent of responsibility. i really don't know what else countries expect. , depriving a crime humanity in order to uphold --

and based on the false emotions of security. i'm sorry, maybe my response is not sufficient. i just share your feelings. i'm done. >> i think your response is very appropriate, and i think that she deserves a round of applause from us for bringing us back to reality. [applause] >> once again, thank you so much for this. it means a lot to me. next i might go to japan, i will take it with me and share it with the members of the survivors organizations. thank you for your support and recognition of some of the work. >> thank you for joining this esteemed group.

we are very delighted and honored to be able to honor you. i also want to thank kathleen sullivan, who i failed to recognize earlier, who has been our companion for and helped with the presentation. [applause] >> there were several question are still in the audience, and site we did not get to your questions, but i think that around for abe while. please get to know her better. with that, i will turn the program back over to daryl kimball. [applause] >> on american history tv on c-span3, sunday morning, we will simulcast "washington journal" live from 9:00 to 10:00 eastern .ith craig shirley

at 10:00, en route to the white house rewind, the 1976 republican national convention. a close race between gerald ford and former california governor ronald reagan, for the nomination. >> i believe the republican party has a platform that is of old unmistakable colors. >> at 6:00, un-american artifacts, we visit a national monument in washington, d.c. and see the work of a cartoonist. >> you can see, in this image in particular, she is very slender. her skirt is above her equals, which is also ahead of the time. her hands are on her hips, and she throws her hat into the ring of politics.

cartoonist, she contributed over 150 cartoons in support of the women's suffrage campaign. this evening at 8:00, on "lectures of history." thisen he developed notion, there was 9 million african-americans. 90% were in the south. less than 20,000 had a college degree. >> marius jackson on w.e.b. dubois. his early life, his role as an educator, and the relationship with other activists. 10:00, "reel america" will feature a series of massive films. it will feature, "science reporter" experiencing the problem of feeding astronauts.

elegiac, bacteria, and accommodation there are where you would have essentially small farms in space, or a microscope has an -- microcosm, so you have it to generate oxygen and co2. , for the complete schedule, go to c-span.org. the american jewish committee um onits annual for monday. they heard from bob corker and british labour party. this portion is two hours. ♪

>> in july of 2015 with a wave of anti-semitism sweeping europe ajc launched a bold new initiative. u.s. mayors were asked to sign on to a statement pledging to confront any and all forms of anti-semitism and calling upon their european counterparts to take action against this age-old hatred. today more than 300 mayors from 50 states representing more than 82 million people have signed on on. in october of 2015 the project was started in europe pledging

leaders to pursue a zero tolerance policy on anti-semitism, to make security in jewish communities a priority, and to reject the notion that anti-semitic acts can be justified by political views on israel. now, nearly 200 mayors from more than 30 countries representing over 65 million people have signed on. today ajc's initiative stands as the largest, most far-reaching denunciation of anti-semitism the u.s. and europe together have ever seen. [applause]

>> good afternoon. my name is michael tichnor. i serve on ajc's executive council and as chair of ajc's regional offices. one year ago ajc's network of 22 regional offices across the country undertook an ambitious challenge. mayors united against anti-semitism. we crafted a pledge and spread the word to mayors across the united states skgs them to sign their name to this denunciation of anti-semitism. we at ajc spent a lot of time thinking beyond our own borders. we work to improve israel's place in the world. halt iran's progress toward nuclear weapons. defend human dignity. and combat anti-semitism in europe. but without our work at the local level we would never be able to make such a significant impact worldwide. at ajc we live by the belief think global, act local.

forgive my chauvinism, but as with so many great things in american history the story of mayors united began in massachusetts. [applause] when ajc new england conceptualized the project and teamed up with newton mayor seti warren to get the ball rolling. [applause] given that newton is the wonderful city where i was born and raised, it is a particular honor for me to introduce setti warren today and pay tribute to his visionary and admired leadership. ladies and gentlemen, please join me in welcoming mayor setti war-tone ajc global forum. [applause]

>> it is truly an honor to be good afternoon, everyone. it is truly an honor to be with you today. and i'm deeply grateful to have the chance to work with a leading organization like ajc to address the insidious poison that is anti-semitism. over a year and a half ago my friend rob leichend, director of acc boston, and i were attending an event in boston hosted by the u.k. consulate where we talked about anti-semitism around the world and the roles that mayors can play around the world in making their communities welcoming by stating community values. this is something we do as mayors every day. after discussing the possibility that snowy night in boston, getting mayors to make a strong statement about how anti-semitism is unacceptable, i never could have dreamed we would have over 300 mayors from all 50 states and the district of colombia representing 82

million people and 150 mayors from 29 countries representing nearly 60 million people signed on. [applause] thank you to rob and ajc for your leadership. we know our work is not done at home or abroad. this september in conjunction with ajc we will convene mayors from around the world in europe to codify our work and expand our initiative. at home in our cities including my hometown of newton, massachusetts we have work to do. just recently a report came out

announcing an increase in anti-semitic hate crimes in the commonwealth of massachusetts. newton recently was a victim to multiple incidents. i'm dealing with this swiftly by ensuring our police department is investigating criminal actions, giving much-needed training to our school administrators and police officers on how to properly respond to hate crimes, and have already put in motion education and engagement programming in our schools and in our community as a whole. [applause] so you see, our efforts must never end to eradicate our cities of towns of anti-semitism and all forms of prejudice and racism. it takes constant work and leadership from community leaders.

i'm looking forward to our important work together. as i said, and i want to say it one more time before i introduce my friend, stephanie rawlings-blake, we have 300 mayors from 50 states, district of columbia, 82 million americans, isn't that unbelievable? signed on. we're going to do more. we're going to do more. [applause] and we haven't -- we have not been able to have done this without the help of my friend stephanie rawlings-blake, president of the u.s. conference of mayors, who helped us spread the word and recruit more allies. it is my welcome to introduce a true champion to the stage, mayor stephanie rawlings-blake. [applause] >> thank you very much to my good friend mayor warren. it's always great to see you.

you and it has been my pleasure to work with you during our time on the u.s. conference of mayors. and to mr. tichnor, thank you for the invitation to be here with you today. it is my sincere pleasure to be here with all of you. as has been mentioned, a constant theme of ajc is act local, think global. which is not only appropriate for the organization but it's really why i'm standing here today. about a year ago a constituent in northwest baltimore called his city council person, city councilman rickey spectator. the constituent is a member of the the ajc. and asked rickey if she could reach out to me and see if i would sign on to a pledge of you mayors against anti-semitism. rickey, who is my mentor and who i've known for well over 20 you i've known for well over 20

years, since my first days on are in the city council, is never one to shy away, and she called me immediately. you i took a look at the pledge, and and i thought it was a very and worthwhile initiative. i know that history cannot only repeat itself but also change one into ugly forms. so i signed it without a hesitation and submitted it. a couple of days later i get a call from ajc. you they needed help getting in some of my fellow mayors from maryland signed on to the pledge. they asked me if i could assist. you -- andl will a -- they asked me if i could assist. i said i can do one better. in addition to being the mayor of baltimore, i also happen to be the president of the u.s. conference of mayors. i told ajc that i could encourage my colleagues from around the country to sign this

pledge. from that one constituent making that one phone call to his city councilwoman, this initiative now counts over 300 mayors signing on, representing collectively over 80 million people in this country. [applause] you see, he thought globally by acting locally. and one of the things that i have learned by being president of the u.s. conference of mayors is that change comes from the bottom up. not from the top down. whether it's confronting anti-semitism or addressing climate change, a solution to the world's problems are not happening in our world's capitals. they're not even happening in state or provincial capitals but rather happening in cities all over the globe. and as mayor i'm not always considered a global policy maker. some see my job as fairly parochial. i make sure the trash is picked

up and the potholes are filled and the fires, both literally and proverbially, are put out. and yes, those things are my job. but i see my job as fundamentally deeper than that. my job at its core is to make sure that my community is better, that it's safer, that it's stronger. and if i can do that and my colleagues can do that, then what a difference we can make in our world. i commend the ajc on their 110-year history of advocacy both locally and globally. and while my term as mayor is coming to a close, i hope that the partnership endures with mayors in support of that advocacy. i thank you again for allowing me to speak here today and inviting me to participate in this initiative. thank you very much.

[applause] >> thank you, mayor rawlings-blake. thank you for all you've done and will continue to do to place the issue of anti-semitism on the agenda of mayors across the united states. as you know, the story of mayors united did not end with the more than 300 mayors representing 80 million americans from all 50-50 states and the district of columbia. you keep hearing the statistic. it's a wonderful one. that is because mayor ann hidalgo of paris took up the charge and so did nearly 200 other mayors from more than 30 countries across europe, representing over 65 million people. today this trans-atlantic pledge, ajc's mayors united against anti-semitism, has become arguably the largest, most far-reaching denunciation of anti-semitism of its kind in

history. [applause] we had almost 200 european mayors to choose from to invite here today. but for us the choice was easy. on the eve of the holocaust the jewish community of thes lonnici, greece, then a capital of sephardic jewish life, numbered 54,000. the city's docks were closed on chabot because so many of the stevedores were sabbath observant. but it wouldn't last. when the nazis arrived,'sssalon kichlt i's jewish community was utterly destroyed. more than 96% of the junes on'sssaloniki was murdered and deported by the nazis, mostly in auschwitz. but in 2014 as mayor yiannis boutaris was sworn in for his second term as mayor

of'sssaloniki he paid tribute to the rich and vibrant jewish legacy on thessaloniki, mourned and marked its return today. he pinned a yellow star of david to his jacket. the act was an honor for the jur junes of -- it was also a complete rejection of the neo-nazi golden dawn party. for all these reasons as well as ajc's long-standing ties to greece and the greek people mayor boutaris was the natural choice to come today. in doing so he represents the more than 65 million people from across europe whose mayors have pledged to fight anti-semitism. ladies and gentlemen, please join me in welcoming an individual of character and convention, mayor yiannis boutaris. [applause]

>> good afternoon, everybody. i am especially proud to be here among you. among the signatories to the statement of the mayors against anti-semitism. a declaration issued as part of agency's remarkable campaign to combat this particular scourge of discrimination. as i stand before you today as a representative of the cities of europe to remember and honor together our preeminent citizens, our jews. jews are not only people of the book. they are also the people of the city. without them the cities of europe, our cities, could never become what they are, the

laboratories of politics, arts, science, the credits of modernity. [applause] what would vienna be? what would vienna be without sigmund freud? amsterdam without spinossa. paris without marcel proust. berlin without moses mendelson. and no less rosa luxembourg. my only city of thessaloniki enjoys a large presence of jews dating back to the times of saint paul. thanks to this it was born again again. in particular it was the ingenuity of its sephardic jews who were expelled from spain in 1492, trained the poor settlement into a thriving mediterranean port. those spanish jews named the synagogues of the cities they were forced to leave, sevilla, aragorn, zaragoza, toledo. but as time passed, they made

thessaloniki their new home, one that proudly and rightly was called the jerusalem of the balkans, the mother of all israel. cities are nurtured in tolerance -- the ghetto was invented in venice. modern anti-semitism was invented in vienna. and the holocaust was conceived in berlin. european jews symbolized urban decadence and were persecuted and eventually exterminated for this. today almost every european city from paris to krakow is a city of ghosts. haunted by the absence of its most exemplary citizens. with their death as part of our own -- has died as well. the holocaust stole our cities' futures. our jews sought out hometowns wherever they moved they changed their memory.

bialystok was as much a presence in new york as it was back in russia. the jews of thessaloniki sblishd associations in paris, new york, and tel aviv. and they drew courage swinging songs about thessalonika, our fatherland. the memory lived in exile as the past was systematically forgotten at home. today painfully aware of our own shameful neglect, we strive to make amends to recover this past in order to create a better future. considerable dangers, however, still lurk. particularly while we rightfully think to highlight the injustice and discrimination of the past. jewish communities in europe can still become scapegoats for supposedly provoking economic misery. we live in turbulence times, in

times of a fragile social equation which is exacerbated by wealth inequalityies that could result in social upheavals. and when this happens discrimination can surface once again. we always need to be vigilant and continue to fight ignorance with education. in addition, we need to address the underlying causes of social unrest. we should also never forget the tormented lievgz of manyves of many of our jewish brothers but we should cherish their memory in the appropriate manner. celebrating jewish heritage in thessaloniki or venice can easily turn the form of turning our cities into some sort of sentimentalized jewish disneylands. this should not necessarily be so.

on the contrary, our duty of memory can become one of our best strategies for regeneration. this principle has guided my own mayorship and has brought me where i'm sitting here today. acknowledging our jewish legacy, working together with jewish and gentile co-citizens can help us make our cities more tolerant. more prosperous and more livable. places for people of all walks of life. this is the challenge we face today as we strive together for the living and also finally put the ghosts of our past to rest. it is a challenge all of us here today are committed to rise up to. thank you very much for your attention. [applause] >> thank you, mayor boutaris,

for your inspirational remarks. in this morning's "wall street journal" in a two-page centerfold of the first section you will find a list of the 500-plus mayors who have signed ajc's mayors united against anti-semitism pledge. take a close look. is your mayor on the list? if he or she is, please write a letter or an e-mail or a tweet. let your mayor know that you are grateful and proud that your city stands with ojc against anti-semitism. is your mayor missing? then please reach out, ask her or him to sign. together we have the power to act. together we can stand up and fight back against the rising tide of anti-semitism. in doing so we affirm and strengthen our democratic and pluralistic values for all. thank you. and thank you to three extraordinary mayors.

[applause] >> wow. what an amazing list. thessaloniki. newton. baltimore. frankfurt. paris. new york. vienna. los angeles. athens. miami. london and many more. more than 500 mayors across the u.s. and europe have signed

ajc's mayors united against anti-semitism statement. together we embody the belief act local and think global. [applause] however, it is not just mayors t just mayors, but also other elected officials who are risingg up to confront anti-semitism. in that spirit, we are honored to introduce our next speaker, a distinguished british member of parliament, and a friend to many of us who flew across the atlantic to be with us this afternoon. john mann. [applause] as a veteran member of the british labour party, john has provided a consistent and principled voice against anti-semitism. his moral clarity is particularly notable given the

growing number of reports on anti-semitism and anti-zionism within his own party. and in the spirit of thinking locally,and acting john's work crosses borders to convince others of the importance of local action. we were happy to host him in march, when he hoped galvanize more than 100 parliamentarians on dozens of countries on a conference in berlin highlighting ways for politicians to help stem new manifestations of this age-old hatred. when the former london mayor made comments trivializing the holocaust, john rightly accused him to his face of being a hitler apologist. [applause]

ms. berger: stalwart and indomitable, john refuses to let us to send into a topsy-turvy, alice in wonderland world where up is down and right is wrong. no, john speaks courageously and fearlessly, helping protect the human dignity that we all strive to defend. that wer these reasons honor john with this pursuit just award, named for the polish wartime hero at our global forum in 2009. for his visionary leadership in fighting hatred and promoting mutual understanding. to havendeed fortunate such a strong-willed determined and skilled advocate and partner leading the way in the struggle

against anti-semitism. no matter how turbulent the world, we can be certain of this will never john mann swerve from speaking the truth and unmasking anti-semitism in ehatever guys appears -- guis it appears. [applause] ms. berger: we share his unshakable conviction that democracy is only safe when security isish assured. ladies and dolmen, please join welcome to aa warm moral giants, john mann. [applause] mr. mann: thank you for that overly kind introduction, and

for the ajc from dragging me from the mountains of scotland. the only place in europe with fine weather, i brought it with me today. whenrow may be more gloomy i returned to london. you, mayor water and and all the mayors who signed the pledge. that is a major, major initiative. we need far more mayors doing so. -- there is one ex-mayor who will not be doing so. when i challenged mr. living stone, unfortunately, he organized a press conference. there were five television crews present. and i inadvertently stumbled into him. [laughter]

mr. mann: he had set up an hour before, it was literally 30 minutes before the radio, he said that hitler was a zionist, and he proved the fact by saying in 1932, the nazi manifesto that got them elected in germany specified support for both -- for zionism. living stone is a liar. and he doesn't need me to say that. manifesto of 1932. he is offering a free meal for anyone who can disprove his lies. the nazi manifesto was unambiguous, as was the little book in 1925 called mein kampf, which specify what hitler said about zionism, and why hitler

hated the concept that the jewish people could ever have the powerhouse of their own state. twistinggrotesque round of history to suggest that hitler and the nazis were zionist, and yet this man continues to this day to ,erpetuate this grotesque lie hardly a surprise he is not a signature it. mayors, losers can't be only winners can be mayors. the lost in 2008, he lost in 2012, he lost with me in the debate once, twice, three times a loser. [laughter] [applause] but i'm proud that my party mayor, the muslim with the largest mandate anywhere in the free world, in his first act as

mayor, having won by 300,000 votes in london, his first act was to go with the chief rabbi to a major jewish communal events. [applause] mr. mann: i am proud that he signed the pledge. you know, i could have walked on by when i stumbled the living , i gave him a piece of my mind, and i apologize for the little bit of the language first broadcast. but not for the rest. by, todayve walked on , the american of the british are sending my constituents and many more to their death on the normandy beaches. in many people walked on by the 1930's, when they should

have stood and said and spoken out, and you know we have a tradition in my family -- i brought my little book. because it is a good sales pitch for this conference. my speech to the conference is in the book. [laughter] essays, speeches, and other writings on anti-semitism. andicular to the students the youth and those training them, it's far more important than the arrogance of me putting my speech in. there is a plethora of speeches, mainly by non-jews, on anti-semitism. it is also an important one to my own party from 1943, by a man called morris rossetti, representing the labor zionists who are part of my party from the very beginning. rossetti, sympathy is not enough. that was what he said in 1943 to

my conference. simply is not enough. is not goody enough. we have a tradition in my area -- let me tell you about my area. robin hood, you may have heard of. [laughter] by mann: he didn't walk on when the sheriff was robbing my people. cartwright, i live in his house. he has been dead a long time, but he was the creator of the great reform act. all of you,to universal suffrage. the first time that that concept got into play. the foundation of british and american democracy, of western democracy. that's part of our tradition. and john wesley, of the methodists and the quakers who originate from my small locality. we have a tradition of not walking on by.

let me ask for your help. , today i look. the internet. from theid to me from the leftsts, extremists, and today is a brilliant example. left wing extremists reach weeding right wing, white american supremacy holocaust denying liars and support of their so-called support for the palestinians. alleged support. the right and the left mingling in from the extremes on the internet, emboldened by the not doingwe are enough in countering this on the internet. we are surrendering that space too much to them. it emboldens them, it empowers them. lunatics, clique of with them together across the

world, it doesn't matter to them someonebusing of me is mad from the west of the u.s., or someone mad from london, or someone mad from germany? it makes no difference. they pile on in support of one another. it magnifies extremism. we need to be more active in fighting and countering against them. we are putting too much by the old rules. do play by the modern rules of communication. these people are taking too much comfort from our laziness. we need young people leading the way in doing this. there's one final thing. it's fascinating. who else came from my little

, inlity of 100,000 people 20 20th of the 400th anniversary of the mayflower pilgrims that come from my locality. when they went to america, the mayflower compact became the basis of the american constitution, perhaps there's nothing in the water. -- there is something in the water. but they did not walk on by. compact, those values, the great reform act of 1832 -- those traditions of nonconformances and, they have been the bedrock of our shared values, the united kingdom, the united states, western democracies. they are what we stand for. they are what fight for, they are what we believe in, they are what makes us what we are.

and therefore, again, massachusetts and my little site 2020,when we celebrate in we are celebrate in the creation of our concept of western democracy, of our values. committee,ys i, my we will never, ever walk on by. thank you for the invitation, make sure others do the same. [applause]

>> i want to make sure that everyone understands what john mann is doing. john mann is not jewish, yet he has made the fight against anti-semitism is cause. anti-semitism, and his own political peril within his own political party. it is extraordinary, and we oh him a tremendous debt of gratitude, john, thank you. [applause] mr. elbaum: in a few minutes, we college students

with our campus award. i would like to make a very special announcement. about oureard historic mayor's campaign, and john, thank you for your eloquent words about the importance of the campaign. we learned a very valuable lesson about the power and importance of public statements. these statements build awareness allow our friends just run with the firm -- strongly affirm their support for our community. in that spirit, it's my pleasure to announce the governor's united against bds. [applause] mr. elbaum: this ajc statement contends the boycott the investment and sanctions its anti-peace and a slander against the democratic u.s. ally.

in the words of the statement, u.s. governors strongly condemn the bds movement as incompatible with the views of their states and countries, likewise, they reaffirmed their support for ,srael as a vital u.s. ally important economic partner, and champion of freedom. [applause] i'm proud to announce today the three cochairs for this initiative. publican governor greg abbott of texas. [applause] it will surprise no one from taxes that he was the first to sign. and on the democratic side of the aisle, new york governor andrew cuomo. [applause] we have a few new yorkers here, i see. and connecticut governor dannel

malloy. [applause] add,lbaum: i should also for reasons that will be lost on , they in this auditorium governor malloy is the chair of the democratic governors of thetion, and cochair platform committee of the dnc. [applause] i want to emphasize that this is a bipartisan effort. i imagine that if we had these governors in the room together, the governor abbott and governors molloy m cuomo -- molloy and cool mode will probably not see eye to eye on every issue. but in this, they are standing together. they are standing with us. they are standing on the side of justice. [applause] so, ladies and

gentlemen, we need 47 more. and that's to say nothing of u.s. territories and others. in the coming days in the global forum, we will call upon you to reach out to your governor to sign the statement. with your assistance, we will send a clear and unmistakable message from public officials to those who would isolate israel. -- not on myis watch, not in my state. [applause] now, if you'll allow me to transition to our campus courage award. this year, we have seen college senates condemn israel, anti-semitic speakers invited to campus to give addresses, and academic associations, some debate to boycott the jewish state.

yet this year has also seen something else, something inspiring, something that none of us should lose sight of, that it nearly every occasion that anti-israel events have occurred on campus, jewish students and their non-jewish allies have fought back. today, we honor two of those allies. i would like to speak for a few minutes. he recently completed his term as graduate association president of ucla. it is probably fair to say that he assumed that his presidency would be about how to address the needs of the thousands of students that he represents. yet supporters of the anti-israel bds movement had some thing else in mind. groupctober, a student purporting to represent diversity asked for a grant to hold an event on israel. he approved the grant, with the

stipulation that it not support or oppose bds. that is not support or oppose bds. because of the divisiveness of this issue, he felt that the grad student association should not use a student funds to be engaged in this type of program. however, to some, even neutrality on israel is a climb -- is a crime it. the palestinian legal society and american civil liberties union claimed that he had impeded first amendment rights of pro-bds students, including students for justice and peace in palestine. they claimed that his non-endorsement of bds was stifling their right to free speech. anti-israel groups launched a vicious campaign, which still continues to this day i met with intimidation, character assassination, and legal action in attempts to force them out of office.

even though a gsa subcommittee could not agree on issuing a single charged against him, bds activists forced the gsa to put them through a trial. many of us recall that when rogers, a former ucla student senator and project interchange alumni. she received similar treatment from bds supporters. like her, milan required legal representation, and once again, our office in los angeles sprang to his defense and provided counsel and legal assistance during this case. [applause] only months ago, after nearly half a year of agal wrangling, while she had small other obligation of being a lost unit ucla, the gsa voted not to take action against him. the legal challenges continue, this review is not over. throughout this ordeal, he has shown great moral courage and fortitude, and standing his ground in steadfast

determination to honor his commitments to students who elected him. to use a phrase from former president frank roosevelt, we judge you by the enemies that you have made, and we judge a very favorably. you very favorably. [applause] mr. elbaum: the ajc is honored to present the inaugural campus courage award for demonstrating a shorter resolve and depth of character. the ucla graduate student association was lucky to have him as their president, and we're fortunate to call him a friend. ladies and gentlemen, please join me in welcoming him. [applause]

mr. chatterjee: thank you, john, for your very kind words. ajc is a remarkable organization, and i'm deeply honored to receive the inaugural campus courage award. i went through an experience this year but i wouldn't wish on anyone. anti-israel groups at ucla launched a vicious pr and legal campaign against me, solely because the graduate students association at ucla under my leadership chose to remain neutral on the bds issue. but we repeat that. i was targeted because i wanted the graduate students association at ucla to be neutral. bds forces sought to remove me from my office as graduate soon body president because i wanted to speak for all students who elected me. think about that for a moment.

if i comment indian-american hindu can face this sort of harassment and intimidation simply for advocating for neutrality, imagine what it must be like for my peers who do have a position or connection on the issue. experience, i've seen how the bds movement has created a hostile and unsafe climate at american university's. i specially emphasize -- empathize with my fellow students who are being harassed by the bds movement. congress lee, i'm very grateful to the numbers of the jewish community and organizations like ajc that stood by me. specifically, i would like to thank ajc los angeles chairman dean schram, and president scott edelman for their continuous support. [applause] furthermore, i

like to think the los angeles law firm and their esteemed attorneys, one of whom was the , foros angeles president providing me with pro bono legal representation. [applause] mr. chatterjee: lastly, i would like to thank informed grants, a pro-israel grassroots organization based at ucla, and their leader for their unwavering support, encouragement, and guidance. [applause] i believe that leadership is best exercised in the moments that test us the most. through this experience, i learned how important it is to stand up against intimidation and harassment, no matter where or who it emanates from. thank you, ajc, for providing me

with the support to see this ordeal through, and together, let's stop the destruction caused by the bds movement. thank you. [applause] >> good afternoon. my name is ellen stone, and i'm a proud member of ajc's board of governors and the current of ajc chicago regional office. >> good afternoon, my name is jeff stone, i'm also a proud member of the ajc board of governors as well as the executive council, chair of the asia-pacific institute, and

ellen's husband. the recent anti-israel and anti-semitic incidents at stanford university hit particularly hard and close to home for us as we have had close ties to stanford for decades. these incidents at stanford said and then stunned us. the tensions on campus reached such a point this past spring that they actually propelled a jewish student senator to propose that the stanford student government pass a resolution against anti-semitism. stanford,n 2016, at jewish students felt it necessary to propose a resolution condemning anti-semitism. , this incredible dismay proposed resolution did not

initially pass. during the debate on this resolution, a student senator opposed to it stated, and i quote -- jews control the media, the economy, the government, and other societal institutions. say same senator went on to that his comments were quote -- not anti-semitism, but a very valid discussion. think about that for a second. during the course of discussion, ostensibly about rooting out anti-semitism, and elected student senator made overtly anti-semitic comments. i wondered what anyone have the courage to stand up and push back? ms. stone: just two days after this statement was made, just

question was answered. authoredble young man an eloquent piece in the stanford daily denouncing these anti-semitic comments. wrote we have to be antiracist, because it is the right thing to do. because this is our university, and as long as stanford means something to us, we have to do it part to make sure embodies the very best of academic life. is this really what we want our home to be? a place where it's ok to make anti-semitic arguments? a place where it is ok to turn the clock back to 1903? as the rest of us, we have to be antiracist because we have all met jews. we have to be antiracist because jews are no different than anybody else. and as a minority, i have to be

antiracist because it could have been me. winston, ajc is honored to present you with the inaugural campus courage award for your display of principled leadership and moral in a moment when it may have been easier to do nothing, to say nothing, you did the opposite. you stood up for what is right may.ood, come what you represent the very best of a rising generation. we are proud to call you a ajc.d of the please welcome us -- join us in welcoming winston to the stage. [applause]