Witness Statement of Robert Horenstein
I, ROBERT HORENSTEIN of 6651 SW Capitol Highway, Portland, Oregon, 97219 WILL SAY as follows
1. I am employed by the Jewish Federation of Portland (“Jewish Federation”) as the Director of Community Relations. The function of the Jewish Federation Community Relations Committee is to serve as an advisory and co-ordinating body for public affairs advocacy for the Jewish community. One of the activities of the Jewish Federation is to monitor anti-Semitic and racist activity in Oregon, in order for the Jewish community and others to be informed about, and there fore protected against, hate organisations and their practices.
2. The Coalition for Human Dignity (“CHD”) (an organisation dedicated to monitoring and opposing right-wing attacks on civil and human rights) had received a letter, dated 22 September 1994, from the Institute for Historical Review promoting an event to be held in Portland on the evening of 10 October 1994, at which the Holocaust denier David Irving would give a talk (please see Appendix, page 1). The letter states that “For reasons of security, the exact site will be announced later”, but provides two telephone numbers for interested parties to contact for more information.
3. The CHD prepared and circulated a paper to like minded organisations setting out the research that they had done into Mr Irving and his connections with the far right (please see Appendix, pages 2-4).
4. Almost a year later, the Jewish Federation received word that Mr Irving was to visit the region again. This meeting was to take place in Clark County and was again organised by the fictitious “Northwest Historical Society”, but this time with the assistance of another well-known neo-Nazi sympathiser, Buck Boomhower (please see Appendix, page 5).
5. Mr Boomhower is a public champion of Mr Irving’s and has written an article entitled “An argument with history”, in defence of Mr Irving’s and his ideology (please see Appendix, page 6).
The contents of this statement are true to the best of my knowledge and belief Dated
Robert Horenstein
