- "I don't think we can talk about anti-Semitism creeping
back into Europe. This is a notion Israel has come up with in order to
dismiss any criticism of its policies. It is nothing but propaganda."
- Anneke Mouthaan, one of the founders of the Dutch group Another Jewish
Voice
-
- Israel's prime minister says anti-Semitism is rising
in Europe, citing attacks on Jews and Jewish interests. His remarks followed
an EU poll which showed many believe Israel is the greatest threat to world
peace.
-
- Is anti-Semitism really increasing? Is hostility towards
Israeli policy in the Middle East becoming anti-Jewish? BBC News Online
asked 12 experts on Jewish affairs from Europe and Israel to reflect on
the charge.
-
- Robert Wistrich, director of the Vidal Sassoon International
Center for the Study of Anti-Semitism in Jerusalem:
-
- There was outrage and shock over the recent EU poll.
Many Israelis regard this as anti-Semitism of sorts. Even if there were
other factors involved, people feel there must be a lot of general prejudice
around for such results to occur.
-
- There is a clear feeling from the Israeli point of view
that what is at stake now is the very legitimacy of the state of Israel
in a moral, historical and political sense.
-
- When we get to a point when it is becoming acceptable
in many places in Europe and even in mainstream opinion to label Israel
as a Nazi state, or, in more diplomatic language, an apartheid state, the
Israeli citizen feels that their very right to exist in any form, whether
politically or as a nation, is being challenged.
-
- Israelis feel that their country, whatever criticisms
they have of it - and Jews in Israel are gold medallists where it comes
to criticising their own government - is being made into a pariah.
-
- People here have a sense of systematic stigmatisation
and even a demonisation of Israel.
-
- I think that one of the more hopeful signs in recent
months is a growing realisation by governments, however reluctantly, of
the need to come to grips with anti-Semitism.
-
- President Jacques Chirac and the French Government were
in denial for a long time. Mr Chirac was saying there was no anti-Semitism
in the French republic. Now, there has been a complete turnaround. I fear
it is a bit late, but better late than never.
-
- ===========================
-
- Henri Wajnblum, former president of the Union of Progressive
Jews in Belgium:
-
- It is certainly true that we have seen more incidents
of anti-Semitic violence in the recent past: graffiti, arson attacks and
the like, which are indeed worrying. But it is wrong to talk about a new
wave of anti-Semitism gripping Europe.
-
- What we are seeing is mounting hostility towards Israel
- particularly among Arab immigrants who feel solidarity with the Palestinians.
It is Israeli policy in the Middle East which is fuelling this to a large
extent, and in that sense, the government of Ariel Sharon itself must take
a share of the responsibility.
-
- The idea that we are seeing a new wave of anti-Semitism
is in part stirred up by those Jewish communities in Europe who ally themselves
closely with Israel, but also the Sharon government.
-
- Mr Sharon wants more Jews in Israel, he wants to gain
the demographic advantage. He is, in part at least, exploiting fears of
anti-Semitism to persuade Europe's Jews to emigrate.
-
- ===========================
-
- Peter Sichrovsky, Austrian MEP and former general secretary
of Joerg Haider's right-wing Freedom Party:
-
- It is not that Europe has become more anti-Semitic, it
is simply that, over the past few years, people have felt much more at
ease in expressing their prejudices. In part this is to do with the situation
in the Middle East.
-
- Obviously people must have the right to criticise Israel,
but it frequently appears to be the case that a standard is applied to
Israel that isn't to the rest of the world. The US is also a victim of
this kind of hypocrisy - thousands will turn out to protest against President
Bush and yet they'll be silent when it comes to a genuinely bloody dictator.
-
- It's not the far-right that are the problem, as they
have been brought under control in Europe. It is the politically-correct,
centre-left which simultaneously condemns acts of anti-Semitism while defending
regimes which support terrorism against Israel.
-
- We're not seeing naked hostility to Jews, but the line
between valid criticism and anti-Semitism is being crossed, and that is
a threat for European Jews. At the same time we should not get this out
of proportion. There is not an anti-Semitic vote in Europe, and no politician
has anything to gain by trying to stir up hatred towards the Jews.
-
- And we should also remember that anti-Semitism can come
from Jews and non-Jews alike. I was described as Joerg Haider's "court
Jew" for my association with the Freedom Party. Jews are still expected
only to have certain sorts of political beliefs, which is a ridiculous
sentiment. We should be free to pursue whatever beliefs we want.
-
- ===========================
-
- Yaron Ezrahi, professor of political science at the Hebrew
University in Jerusalem:
-
- The right-wing in Israel describes every criticism of
the country as a form of anti-Semitism. It is very convenient for the present
government - which is the most right-wing in Israel's history and headed
by a prime minister who has not taken the smallest initiative in the direction
of a diplomatic effort in the peace process - to blame everything on anti-Semitism.
-
- This way, they try to write off any criticism of their
own policies.
-
- Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has a long record in defining
Israeli critics as disloyal. Any attempt to make the current government
and its very questionable policies invincible to legitimate criticism should
be wholly rejected.
-
- When Yithzak Rabin was leading the peace process, there
were extremely positive attitudes in Europe. It was very rare during that
period to hear anti-Semitic voices.
-
- ===========================
-
- Barry Kosmin, executive director of the London-based
Institute for Jewish Policy Research
-
- There has not been a rise in Nazi-style, racist anti-Semitism,
although in certain countries, such as Belgium and France, there has been
a rise in what we call anti-Semitic incidents - attacks on synagogues and
individual Jews.
-
- In Britain, this has not been the case. But, there has
been a rise in other forms of anti-Semitism, so in the British context
in particular, we came up with the term Judeophobia. We see it as extreme
criticism of Israel and American Jews that moves over into bigotry against
Jews as a whole.
-
- One facet of the anti-Semitic mindset is to generalise.
So there are the Jews, but you are not quite sure whether the Jews means
a group of American politicians, the government of Israel, or Jewish people
in general.
-
- The current problem arises from a kind of fashionable
prejudice in elements of what we might call the left-liberal media, who
are asymmetrical in their outlook.
-
- They give an easy ride to Islamists and Marxists but
are hypercritical of Israel and America. This sort of fashionable political
bigotry can move over into incitement.
-
- Part of the problem is the Middle East situation, which
is not as simple to understand as people like to think. For example, in
Arabic you don't talk about Israelis you talk about "the Jew"
or "Yahud".
-
- Many of the media commentators or journalists do not
speak Arabic or know much about Middle Eastern history and culture, so
they uncritically repeat the discourse of the place by talking about "Jews"
rather than "Israelis". Criticism of the government of Israel
thus becomes a criticism of the Jews.
-
- This kind of dumbing-down of the media, as well as the
fact that news stories have to be produced quickly, leads to a lack of
care and attention, which can be manipulated to advance a propaganda that
results in incitement to violence and even justification for terrorism.
-
- ===========================
-
- Frank Furedi, sociology professor at the UK's Kent University
and a commentator on contemporary approaches to the Holocaust
-
- It is unfortunate that when we think about the problem
of anti-Semitism, we tend to invoke the spectre of the Holocaust and images
of Adolf Hitler. That kind of danger simply does not exist today. If anything
we suffer from Holocaust overdose.
-
- Relatively insignificant episodes of violence and hatred
are equated with the tragic events of the 1940s, thereby trivialising the
significance of the Nazi experience.
-
- While there is no need to worry about a Nazi revival
we should be concerned about the emergence of disturbing public attitudes
towards the Jews.
-
- It is worth noting that opinion polls suggest that Europeans
regard Israel as the biggest threat to world peace. No doubt many criticisms
can be made about the role of Israel. But the biggest threat to world peace?
-
- Negative perceptions about Israel do not necessarily
mean that it is the Jews who are seen as the threat. However the reality
is a complex one. Many find it difficult to distinguish between Zionism
and Judaism.
-
- And others with more sense are often too embarrassed
to insist on the salience of such a distinction. Sadly, the view of Israel
as the principal force of world evil has for some endowed anti-Semitism
with a degree of legitimacy.
-
- ===========================
-
- William Wolff, chief regional rabbi of the eastern German
state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
-
- I have just been away for a few days, and when I came
back there were two rather unpleasant letters waiting for me, both anti-Semitic.
I then went for a walk in the town - the manager of the launderette saw
me and came out to greet me. He embraced me, asked how things were going.
-
- This latter experience is what is representative of modern
Germany, not the former. The anti-Semites are a tiny minority who are given
far more attention than they deserve.
-
- It is true that people feel less frightened of criticising
Israel, but that is not the same as anti-Semitism. In Germany, because
of what has happened here, one must simply be more careful about how one
does this. Language must be chosen carefully.
-
- Some people have pointed to the sorry affair of that
conservative German politician who recently compared the Jews with Nazis
as an example of rising anti-Semitism. If anything, however, this should
be seen as just the opposite. The man was widely condemned, he was expelled
from the party. It is in fact a positive story, not a negative one.
-
- There are many Jews in my area who are from the former
eastern bloc. They have come to Germany to escape anti-Semitism, and they
have found a home here.
-
- ===========================
-
- Diana Pinto, historian and author of The Wager: Reconciling
Europe and the Jewish world in the 21st century:
-
- The debate over Europe's new anti-Semitism has an Alice
in Nightmareland quality to it. Jews as well as non-Jews are trapped in
a looking glass where the horrors of the past and the dangers of the present
intermingle and where, as in Alice's case, the proportions have been not
only distorted but totally altered.
-
- Let there be no misunderstanding. We live since 2001
in an extremely dangerous world where a new type of anti-Semitism among
some Muslims has surfaced, whose tenets are worthy of the worst Nazi propaganda,
and whose hatred is no longer aimed at Israeli "Zionists" but
at the entire Jewish people.
-
- Europe, and France in particular, have been hit by this
type of anti-Semitism anchored in our globalised world.
-
- This genuine and dangerous anti-Semitism should not be
confused with the unsavoury critiques against Israel which can be found
in the ranks of Europe's left-wing or with the often unpalatable Holocaust
"fatigue" which many Europeans, in Germany in particular, may
be experiencing.
-
- These three strands cannot come together to alter Europe's
face, to topple its democratic governments, and to isolate or eventually
extirpate the Jews from their body politics.
-
- Out of respect for the Jewish victims of the violent
and all-encompassing European anti-Semitism of the 1930s and of the Holocaust,
who found themselves utterly powerless in a world without hope, we must
fight all the above dangers while ensuring that the ghosts of the past
do not kidnap our present.
-
- For this is a life-size battle in which we, unlike Alice,
have neither shrunk nor mushroomed.
-
- ===========================
-
- Anneke Mouthaan, one of the founders of the Dutch group
Another Jewish Voice:
-
- Until comparatively recently, Europe felt so guilty about
what happened to the Jews during World War II that they were completely
unable to raise any objections to what Israel was doing in the Middle East.
-
- This taboo is gradually being broken as a new generation
grows up. The latest EU poll shows this to be this case. I see it as a
positive development that people finally feel able to voice their concerns,
and something that should have happened years ago.
-
- Many European Jews feel very uncomfortable with Israeli
activity - not least because it's counterproductive to achieving peace
for Israel, which is what we all ultimately want, and to a certain extent
because it is fuelling Muslim hostility towards Jews in Europe. However,
many also worry about speaking out in public against Israel, because they
believe they would be seen as treacherous.
-
- This is something that we still need to overcome - we
have to make clear that it is not anti-Jew, anti-Semitic, to express reservations
about what Israel is doing.
-
- I don't think we can talk about anti-Semitism creeping
back into Europe. This is a notion Israel has come up with in order to
dismiss any criticism of its policies. It is nothing but propaganda.
-
- That's not to say Europe is prejudice free - the continent
has simply found new targets. Last century it was the Jews, this time around
it's immigrants.
-
- ===========================
-
- David Aaronovitch, columnist for the UK's Guardian and
Observer newspapers:
-
- It is certainly true that some people close to the Israeli
Government and people on the right of the Zionist spectrum will sometimes
use the charge of anti-Semitism against people who they think go too far
in criticising Israeli politics.
-
- But it is also true that for historical reasons there
are people in the Jewish community who are very sensitive to the possibilities
of anti-Semitism. They may not see, say in Britain, what I see, which is
that the greatest level of racism is directed towards asylum seekers and
towards Muslims.
-
- But, over the course of the past year or so, there has
been an increased level of what I call anti-Semitic discourse - intensified
criticism of Jews and the Jewish community as being uniquely powerful,
uniquely wealthy, uniquely manipulative on behalf of themselves and on
behalf of Israel.
-
- There are people, both on the left, certainly on the
right and sometimes among Muslims, who use the terms Zionist and Jews completely
or more or less interchangeably.
-
- It is now almost impossible to have a decent discussion
with people on the left about Israel because it is regarded as being entirely
responsible for everything that has gone wrong, as opposed to partly responsible.
-
- However, some people in the US have the idea that this
continent is somehow a hotbed of anti-Semitism. This is absurd.
-
- ===========================
-
- Jean-Yves Camus, French political scientist and contributor
to the annual report Anti-Semitism Worldwide
-
- Very often, at least in France, the victims of Islamic
anti-Jewish violence are the obviously observant: Orthodox Jews, their
schools, synagogues and private property, while the anti-Semitism of the
extreme right focused on secular Jews, who were accused of undermining
the ethnic and religious identity of their country.
-
- In any case, religious or secular, Jews are attacked
because of their alleged unconditional support for the policies of the
state of Israel in the Palestinian territories.
-
- Criticism of the Israeli government's policies is fully
legitimate. But this is not what anti-Zionism means. It means refusing
the Jews the right to have a state and as such, it is perceived with due
justification by the Jews, today, as a far more preoccupying phenomenon
than the traditional bigotry of the far-right lunatic fringe.
-
- Almost 100% of the Jews think there should be no compromise
over Israel's right to exist as a state, even among those who, like me,
support the existence of a Palestinian State.
-
- The anti-Zionist prejudice of the anti-globalisation
movement will probably hasten the process which, for at least a decade,
has made the European Jews break their long-time allegiance to the left
and support the neo-conservative political agenda because of its support
of Israel.
-
- ===========================
-
- Edward Serotta, director of the Central Europe Center
for Research and Documentation in Vienna (www.centropa.org), a web-based
virtual institution that specialises in Jewish history in the region
-
- As this debate on anti-Semitism becomes more and more
shrill there is so much that paints the entire European continent as a
cess-pool of hatred for Jews. One prominent Jewish leader recently said
the climate was just like 1933 - this is absolutely absurd.
-
- I have no doubt that anti-Semitism exists, but I'm not
sure how much of it is new. I'm told that the new anti-Semitism equals
a de-legitimisation of the Jewish state and, while some people believe
this, I certainly don't run into it in the education and cultural ministries
that I deal with in Hungary, the Czech Republic, Austria and Germany.
-
- Since 1989, there has been a remarkable rebirth of Jewish
life. No one would dispute that it is a pale shadow of it pre-Holocaust
self, but that does not take away from the dignity of the effort.
-
- Many of the people who are savaging everything in Europe
are people who have played no part in helping these small communities re-establish
themselves. I read recently in the Israeli newspaper Haaretz that Jewish
schools in Europe have been closing down. It is quite the opposite.
-
- I am in no doubt that there is more interest in Jewish
culture by non-Jews in this part of the world than there ever has been.
-
- - Interviews conducted by Clare Murphy and Kathryn Westcott
-
- © BBC MMIII
-
- http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3234264.stm#Robert
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