Top 5 Posts - Antisemitism in Europe 2014

Most popular posts of 2014.

1. Belgium: Hospital employee hopes Jews will die  (July)

2. Netherlands: Holocaust monument defaced, 'Free Gaza' graffiti  (August)

3. Norway: Anti-racism group demands Jews be excluded from Kristallnacht memorial event  (November)

4. Spain: Israeli flags not allowed in Real Madrid stadium  (December)

5. Sweden: Antisemitic storm after politician suggests Hamas should stop firing at Israel  (July)

The latest anti-Israel sentiment from Europe to be viewed with skepticism or disdain

Mal Sockol:

The growing criticism of Israel by so many in Europe may be considered in light of the following question: What is the difference between occupation of the West Bank and, say, that of India, Algeria, Congo, Angola? The latter examples were by European powers while the former has a Jewish nation in control. Further, the latter was for national wealth while the former is for defense against annihilation. 

The government of Israel vividly recalls how the majority of European countries, (fortunately not all), responded to the Nazi Holocaust during the first half of the 20th century. It is doubtful that the Jewish state will now view this latest anti-Israel sentiment from that continent with anything more than skepticism at best or disdain at worst.

Metro West via Tundra Tabloids which adds this comment:

Europe looks through its fingers at Turkey’s highly illegal occupation of Cyprus and the Moroccan occupation of Western Sahara, but it’s the Jewish state (which is fighting for its survival) that they fixate on, it’s the Jewish state that they obsess over, it’s the Jewish state that they (dubiously/erroneously) demand to be more ”Christian-like” than they themselves would ever be.

France: Billboard company censors Star of David but promotes anti-Israel campaign

The following was reported in January 2014: France: JDate ad removed due to vandalism 

The city of Nanterre, a Paris suburb, removed 18 billboard ads put up by Jewish dating site JDate. Apparently because the Jewish Star poses a threat to public order, given the recent media coverage of antisemitic comedian Dieudonné.

More: JSS News, based on JDate release - Tribune Juive updates that some billboards were removed by the advertising firm Decaux because they were vandalized (swastikas, broken glass).  The city had nothing to do with it.

JSS now reports that the advertiser is running a country-wide viciously anti-Israel billboard campaign on behalf of the Islamic Relief organisation.  It features the head of a Palestinian child head made up of ruins.  JSS asks: is it meant to stoke anti-Semitic sentiment in France?  Or is it meant to promote the idea of a Palestinian State? 

Europe-Israel points out that Decaux operates in Israel and is running an advertisement campaign against child obesity in Tel Aviv...

Ukraine: After years of discrimination, it's not fair that Jews have such special privileges

“Since I was small, my grandmother always told me to hide the fact I was Jewish,” said Kostiantyn, 33, who asked that his family’s surname be withheld out of concern for relatives he left behind in the conflict zone. “Now I don’t care what people say about me being Jewish. The only people who have helped here have been the Jews.”

(...)

Jewish Agency Chairman Natan Sharansky, a former Soviet dissident from Donetsk who moved to Israel in the 1980s, recalled a recent conversation with non-Jews who also fled eastern Ukraine. 

“They told me it was not fair that Jews had such special privileges,” said Sharansky, who has visited Ukraine several times in recent months. “They said, ‘We, too, lost our properties and are refugees, but they have help and can go to Israel.’ It was weird for me to hear, because when I grew up in Donetsk, being Jewish was like having a mortal disease.”

More: Washington Post

Day 35: Counting the Days till EU Condemns PA Incitement to Kill Jews

Following the murders in Jerusalem enabled by the constant Palestinian incitement to kill Jews, this blog will wait until one European country will step forward and condemn the PA for its incitement.

It is not enough to ask the PA to stop inciting.

It is not enough to condemn the terror attacks caused by such incitement.

European leaders must make it clear to the PA that incitement to kill Jews is unacceptable. That such incitement will mean no support for Palestinian aspirations for statehood. 

Until then, European leaders are encouraging Palestinians to kill Jews.

Turkey: Number of Jewish youths wanting to leave has doubled since 2012

According to statistics of a community high school we were asked not to name, compared with previous years, the number of Jewish youths wanting to leave Turkey has doubled. According to numbers provided to Al-Monitor, in 2012 of 99 students at the community school, 23 wanted to go abroad; in 2013, 18 out of 96; and in 2014, 40 out of 108. The school officials don’t know how many of those going abroad will return after finishing their education.

More: al-Monitor

Israel: Technion University 'Ignores' Swastika Scrawled on Campus

The Zionist student group Im Tirtzu has complained to Technion University after a swastika was found on a sign at the Haifa-based university this Sunday, demanding that the university's president condemn the incident and take steps against those behind it.

In the letter to university president Prof. Peretz Lavie, the group wrote "there aren't enough words to describe our deep shock as students of the Technion and citizens of the state of Israel."

(...)

Technion issued a response to the incident early in the week, saying "we express disgust from the act and denounce it unanimously. We emphasize that the Technion is a leading apolitical academic institution, which is an example of coexistence and accepting the other."

"The Technion campus is open and accessible to the public and thousands of people pass through every day. The vandalism was immediately removed," concluded the Technion statement.

However, Matan Peleg, CEO of the Im Tirtzu movement, said "the Technion for many months is trying to ignore at any price the rising phenomena of hatred by Arab students towards Jewish students and the state of Israel."

"This kind of ignoring doesn't just make the problem worse and strengthen it, but leaves the coexistence in Haifa as an empty term," continued Peleg.

More: Arutz 7

Greece: Antiracist website posts antisemitic article

Via GrassrootReuter and Against Antisemitism (with much thanks to glykosymoritis for translation help):

"Expel Racism" is a Greek anti-fascist website, dedicated to fighting racism.  But, as GrassrootReuter points out, they don't recognize antisemitism when they see it, and even worse - seem to agree with it.

The site recently posted an article about the father of former Golden Dawn MP Chrysovalantis Alexopoulos.   Alexopoulos left Greek Dawn less than a year ago, after close to twenty years as a member, claiming he was shocked by allegations of violence against the party.

"Expel Racism" posted an expose, claiming his father was a Nazi collaborator who assisted the Nazis in their crimes against the Greek patriots in Larissa.  Further, that the 'system' and definitely Larissa's large Jewish community (at the time) must have known about it, but they backed him and therefore remained silent, because it didn't "fit their plans".

The expose originally appeared in the neo-Nazi newspaper "Stoxos" and was posted as-is by the so-called anti-Fascist website.

After GrassrootReuter called them out on it, they updated the article to remove the offending passages.  But this is not the first time they post antisemitic material.

Updated: Details of original article.

Europe: Increasing Muslim influence will have adverse consequences for Israel

Guy Bechor believes that increasing Muslim influence in Europe will have adverse consequences for Israel:

Just like the Arab world did all in its power to harm the young Israel, the same trend is taking shape in the European Union as well. While in the past we talked about the Westernization of the Arab world, we are now talking about the Arabization of Europe. The Arab League boycotted Israel from its very first day, and the “European Union” may now follow in its footsteps.

Sources: Ynet News via Honest Reporting

Norway: Jesus' Manger will soon be empty, because of Israel

Jan-Erik Smilden, Norwegian journalist reporting from the Middle East, bemoans the sad state of Christians in the Middle East.

His op-ed piece is titled "The Manger will soon be empty".  Sub-heading: "The Christians in the Middle East are experiencing one of history's worst Christmas seasons, and it will probably get worse."

So, he probably starts off  by talking about the Christians of Iraq, or Egypt, right?

No... wait.  He bemoans the sad state of Palestinians Christians in Bethlehem.

What is the main reason Bethlehem is now empty of Christians?   (it isn't, but Smilden thinks it is, so we'll go with it for now)

It's not the inter-Christians battles over the Church of the Nativity.

It's not the problems with the Muslims.

It's not even the fact that Hamas is now in political control of the city.

What could it possibly be?

Of course.  Israel.

The Israeli occupation is the main reason for the fact that there are now less than 20% Christians in Bethlehem.

[Apparently, the fact that the Palestinian Authority changed the borders of the city in order to include more Muslims is a negligible reason.  Because luckily we have Israel to blame.]

Why?  The wall, the wall, have we mentioned the wall?

Israeli takeover of lands, which, Smilden points out, affects Christians and Muslims equally.  But he somehow uses it to explain why there are less Christians specifically.

The war in Gaza, which is apparently all Israel's fault.

Religious tensions in Jerusalem  (that's newspeak for "Muslims trying to kill Jews") - which is also apparently all Israel's fault.

The last two affect tourism in Bethlehem, which is the lifeblood of the city.

Israeli tour guides who don't let their charges stay overnight in Bethlehem.   Same goes for Christian-Zionist tour guides, who don't care about the Palestinians and think they're all terrorists (his words, not mine).

Anyway, after discussing Bethlehem for three paragraphs, he finally starts his article about Christians in the Middle East.  A short summary about the fact that there's barely any left, one paragraph about Syria and Iraq ("they've got it the worst") and another about the Egyptian Copts.

Too bad Smilden hates Israel more than he actually cares about his chosen topic.  Even his editor (who, I assume, wrote the headline), didn't think it was about Christians in the Middle East.

Because, really - how can you compare whining about Islamic State beheadings when Palestinian Christians have Israeli tour guides to deal with?

Day 34: Counting the Days till EU Condemns PA Incitement to Kill Jews

Following the murders in Jerusalem enabled by the constant Palestinian incitement to kill Jews, this blog will wait until one European country will step forward and condemn the PA for its incitement.

It is not enough to ask the PA to stop inciting.

It is not enough to condemn the terror attacks caused by such incitement.

European leaders must make it clear to the PA that incitement to kill Jews is unacceptable. That such incitement will mean no support for Palestinian aspirations for statehood. 

Until then, European leaders are encouraging Palestinians to kill Jews.

Day 33: Counting the Days till EU Condemns PA Incitement to Kill Jews

Following the murders in Jerusalem enabled by the constant Palestinian incitement to kill Jews, this blog will wait until one European country will step forward and condemn the PA for its incitement.

It is not enough to ask the PA to stop inciting.

It is not enough to condemn the terror attacks caused by such incitement.

European leaders must make it clear to the PA that incitement to kill Jews is unacceptable. That such incitement will mean no support for Palestinian aspirations for statehood. 

Until then, European leaders are encouraging Palestinians to kill Jews.  

France: For 3rd time this week, shots fired at Paris Jewish target

Bullet holes discovered at entrance to publishing house, days after restaurant, synagogue attacked.

Days after similar attacks against Jewish targets, shots were fired at a Paris publishing house owned by Jews on Thursday night. Bullets holes were discovered at the entrance to the building on Friday morning. Investigators believe the shooter used a high-powered air gun, the same type of weapon used in the two previous attacks this week.

On Wednesday, bullet holes were discovered in the window of the Al Haeche kosher restaurant located in the 19th district of northeastern Paris. The attack occurred Tuesday night, the JSSNews website reported.

More: Times of Israel and AnachInfo

France: Aubervilliers names Marwan Barghouti honorary citizen

Via CRIF:

The city of Aubervilliers (next to Paris) decided to make Marwan Barghouti an honorary citizen for being a man of 'peace and dialogue'.

Barghouti is currently in jail for three attacks that killed a total of five people: a June 2001 attack in Ma'ale Adumim that killed a Greek monk, a January 2002 attack on a Givat Ze'ev gas station, the March 2002 Seafood market attack in Tel Aviv, and a car bombing in Jerusalem.

Thank you, Aubervilliers, for encouraging Jew murderers.

France: "Today, Jesus would be born at a checkpoint" writes flagship magazine

France's flagship left-of-center magazine, L'Express, has an article titled "Today, Jesus would be born at a checkpoint". There is no mention in the article of Palestnian terrorism.

In August 2014, Christophe Barbier, the publisher and leading editorialist of L'Express wrote these words:

"How will Jews who fear an antisemitic upsurge in France and opt to leave behind them those other Jews who cannot or do not want to go away clean themselves from an accusation of cowardice?"

Michel Gurfinkiel comments:

French Jews have been subjected to unprecedented violence and intimidation for weeks. Many of them are losing heart and considering emigrating, or are actually emigrating — by the thousands — to Israel or other places, including North America and Australia. Still, in the eyes and under the pen of the country's leading journalist, they should be reviled as "deserters." 

In fact, Barbier goes even further. He blames French Jews for many more sins beyond emigration: indulging in self-defense, "bunkerization," support for the Benjamin Netanyahu government in Israel, and, last but not least, an alleged growing sympathy for Marine Le Pen and the far Right. French Jews, as he sees it, are becoming a threat to France as a nation and as a republic. He warns them: "If they think that it is problematic to be Jewish while French, they vindicate those who say that it is problematic to be French while Jewish."

More: Meforum