5th GRADERS & PARENTS!
Be a part of the 17th Annual
TZEDAKAH
EXPERIENCE
The Sickness Of Europe
Or, in plain French, no one is
n the summer
responsible.
of 1990, I was
There were those who also were
sent to Europe
quick
to explain that young
to write a
Muslims do not feel accepted in
series of articles on
European countries. There is a high
the collapse of the
Soviet Union and the rate of unemployment and poverty
among them. And there was also
consequences arising
that terrible Israeli massacre of
from that. Among
GEORGE
Palestinians at Jenin — although no
them was a resur-
such massacre ever took place, a fact
CANTOR
gence of anti-
the European media are rather
Reality Check Semitism in Eastern
reluctant to admit.
Europe.
The Europeans are hopeless. With
But I also wound up in France.
no firm moral base left in their cul-
Jean-Marie Le Pen, a throwback fas-
ture, they are unable to deal with a
cist,was leading a campaign of vili-
violence-prone minority that has
fication towards Jews and Muslims
suddenly arisen in their midst — a
and drawing a disturbirig number of
minority that feeds readily into the
votes. His political party was rapidly
centuries-old European hatred of
rising out of the marginal category.
Jews.
An organization called "Hands
On the same 1990 assignment, I
Off My Buddy" was formed, an
also interviewed Nazi-
effort to confront Le
hunter Simon
Pen and alert people to
Wiesenthal in his
the danger he repre-
office in Vienna. I
sented. It was com-
asked him about the
posed of a coalition of
return of anti-
Jews and Muslims, sup-
Semitism there and he
porting each other in
simply shook his
the campaign against
head.
racial hatred.
"It is the sickness of
I interviewed several
Europe," he said.
of its .members and was
"There is no cure."
encouraged at their
As it turned out,
willingness to put aside
some of the places
other differences and
where the greatest
work together for this
French anti- Semite Le Pen
fears were expressed,
._ cause. It seemed to be
such as Hungary, have
a promising develop-
turned out to be rela-
ment for France.
tively quiet. The aver-
Well, that was then.
age Hungarian and
Many young Muslims
Bulgarian is better disposed towards
have since decided that they much
Israel than his counterpart in
preferred laying violent hands on
Belgium and Austria.
their former Jewish buddies.
It is in the supposedly liberal
At least, that's what official
democracies
of Western Europe
reports into anti-Jewish incidents
where
the
worst
instances have
over the last few years concluded.
occurred.
But these reports were quickly
Part of this, I'm sure, is residual
shelved because their conclusion was
Holocaust
guilt, an eagerness to
deemed unacceptable. They accused
prove that the Jews are no better
a specific group of being responsible
than anyone else when it comes to
for these acts, and that was liable to
oppressive behavior. Part of this is
turn public opinion against them.
that many of these nations, especial-
Gee, wouldn't that be a shame.
ly Great Britain, are afflicted with
Instead, the heavy thinkers of
blatantly biased media that aren't
France decided the better approach
worth
the powder to blow them to
would be to declare a blanket guilt
hell
with.
for these attacks. We are all guilty
And part of it, as Wiesenthal said,
and we all must work to make this a
is
that it is simply embedded in the
better place for all people.
European soil and soul; inextricable
and shameful. ❑
1 George Cantor's e-mail address is
gcantor@thejewishnews.com
I
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1
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1/23
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