New York, NY, June 6, 2007 … The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) welcomed the response of the Swiss government in the aftermath of the fire at the Hekhal Haness Synagogue in Geneva, which has been ruled an arson by investigators. 

Swiss President Micheline Calmy-Rey has expressed solidarity with the Jewish community and called anti-Semitic acts "unacceptable."

"We hope that the Swiss authorities will vigorously pursue a thorough investigation of this terrible incident until the perpetrators have been found and brought to justice," said Glen S. Lewy, ADL National Chair and Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director.

The investigation is ongoing, and officials have not ruled out anti-Semitism as a motivating factor in the attack.

In a letter to His Excellency Urs Ziswiler, the Swiss Ambassador to the United States, ADL praised Ms. Calmy-Rey for her public statement making clear that anti-Semitic acts are "unacceptable, and an insult to Switzerland's tradition of dialogue."

The Anti-Defamation League, founded in 1913, is the world's leading organization fighting anti-Semitism through programs and services that counteract hatred, prejudice and bigotry.