SIMON WIESENTHAL CENTER

In its mission statement, the Simon Wiesenthal Center (SWC)
http://www.wiesenthal.com/ says that it is an “international
Jewish human rights organization dedicated to repairing the
world one step at a time. The Center's multifaceted mission
generates changes through the Snider Social Action Institute
and education by confronting anti-semitism, hate and terrorism,
promoting human rights and dignity, standing with Israel,
defending the safety of Jews worldwide, and teaching the
lessons of the Holocaust for future generations.”

The SWC has an educational division located at two centers,
one in Los Angeles called the Museum of Tolerance and one in
New York called the Tolerance Center. The Museum of Tolerance
was founded in 1993 and challenges visitors to confront bigotry
and racism, and to understand the Holocaust in both historic and
contemporary contexts. It had nearly 350,000 visitors this past
year including 130,000 youth. As part of it's Tools for Tolerance
program, 7,000 members of Law Enforcement have participated
in cutting-edge training for frontline providers. To date, the
Museum has trained over 100,000 professionals, including
educators and, in partnership with the State of California,
individuals in law enforcement. Additionally, the program
accommodates firefighters, social workers, health care
professionals, attorneys, probation officers, and others.

The SWC has an education program that targets primary and
secondary school students. Teaching Steps to Tolerance – the
Museum’s national program is designed for 5th and 6th grade
educators and library media specialists to integrate the
teaching of tolerance into their school’s curriculum. Tools for
Tolerance for Teens – reaches thousands of middle and high
school students while Steps to Tolerance engages over 6,000
fifth and sixth graders each year.

The SWC also has a film division called Moriah Films. The
film division was created to produce theatrical documentaries
to educate both national and international audiences. It focuses
on the 3,500-year old Jewish experience as well as contemporary
human rights and ethics issues. Moriah Films has produced nine films
to date, two of which have received the Academy Award for best
feature documentary, The Long Way Home (1997) and Genocide (1981).

In 2006, the SWC initiated a division to study digital media entitled
Digital Terrorism and Hate 2006. The annual interactive report
produced by the Center, Digital Terrorism, focuses on over 6,000
websites and details how the internet has become a virtual university
for terrorism and has emerged as the nerve center for training,
recruitment, and terrorist activities in the Middle East. This
report is distributed to government agencies, community activists,
educators, and members of the media.



Charity Navigator Rating of the Simon Wiesenthal Center:
Overall rating: One Star (on a rating scale of 0 to 4 stars)

In 2006, 76% of expenses were spent on program services, 10%
on administrative expenses, and 13% of fundraising expenses.
This breakdown of expenses resulted in a Two Star
Organizational Efficiency rating.
In 2006, SWC had primary revenue growth of minus 7% and
primary expenses growth of minus 4%. This resulted in a
One Star Organizational Capacity rating. (This rating
measures the organization’s ability to sustain itself over time.)

Its net assets are just over $63 million.
The compensation for its president, Rabbi Marvin Hier,
was $249,215.
The compensation for its membership director, Marlene Hier,
was $203,291.

Next week’s blog: Comparative ratings of Israeli Hospitals