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>> on the cover

Anti-Semitism
Rises In Europe

Amanda Borschel-Dan I Times of Israel

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

There is always
something
happening
at Congregation
B'nai Moshe.

WINTAI

12
MOSHE

)

The meeting, chaired by MK Yoel
Razvozov, saw representatives of Jewish
communities and diplomats from coun-
tries including France, Greece, Hungary
Belgium, United Kingdom, Netherlands,
Denmark, Austria, Germany and Italy
speaking at a session that went well over-
time but ended inconclusively.
The meeting was called by the Knesset's
Diaspora Affairs Committee with the coop-
eration of the Israeli-Jewish Congress.
Members of Knesset bemoaned the
upswing in anti-Semitism since the start of
Operation Protective Edge on July 8, and
security and academic experts attempted to
drive home the dire importance of concrete
steps to counter and educate against the ris-
ing anti-Semitism throughout Europe.
Vladimir Sloutzker, head of the Israeli-
Jewish Congress, said starkly, "Never before
since the Holocaust have we seen such a
situation as today. We are potentially look-
ing at the beginning of another Holocaust
now:'
Nathan Norman Gelbart, the head of
Germany's Keren Hayesod (United Jewish
Appeal), reported that the German Jewish
community is scared "because these are
things that have not occurred since 19337
He cited demonstrators shouting "death to
the Jews" and other anti-Semitic slogans.
Hebrew University Prof. Robert Wistrich,
an expert on anti-Semitism, noted France's
aggressive stance against anti-Semitism in
any form, from top government officials on
down, "but we see it doesn't make much of
a difference — though it is important:'
Wistrich noted that years of "one-sided"
anti-Israel media reports have led to an
image of the Jewish state that is far removed
from reality. Additionally, the constellation
of extremists on the political far right and
far left, along with jihadist immigrants,
have created a new anti-Semitic climate.
There is no longer a facade of anti-Zionist
expressions not being anti-Semitic, said

Wistrich. "You just need to hear the rhetoric
to believe."
Various European embassy officials oblig-
ingly reiterated their countries' severe con-
demnation of anti-Semitism, but attributed
official inaction during the recent anti-Israel
protests to citizens' right of free expression
against Operation Protective Edge.
Denmark's Ambassador Jesper Vahr said,
"Clearly some of the events we have seen
recently are despicable and intolerable." He
added, however, that Denmark "as a society
defends the right of people who have a criti-
cal position to the Gaza operation."
Meeting chair Razvozov rebutted, say-
ing that "there is a difference between free
speech and incendiary speech." MK Yoav
Bentsur agreed, saying, "It is impossible that
in 2014 a Jew needs to take off Jewish sym-
bols before walking the streets of Europe ...
If you don't take care of the problem now, it
will soon be too late."
The looming existential threat to the
Jewish community was touched upon
by Esther Voet, director of the Centre of
Information and Documentation on Israel
in the Netherlands. She said although she is
seeing more balanced reporting in the press
versus during 2009's Operation Cast Lead,
"in the Netherlands we are very aware that
it's not about if something will happen in
our country, but when7
Benjamin Albalas, president of the Jewish
Community of Greece, raised a further
warning.
"The attitude in Europe is promoting
delegitimization of the State of Israel ... and
is a first step toward the intimidation of the
Jews' right to live in their own home coun-
tries," said Albalas.
Knesset diplomatic adviser Oded Ben-
Hur said, "Unfortunately, the situation is
much worse than what you are describing
... One of the problems is not just in know-
ing who is anti-Semitic, but to know that
there is a whole swath of people who don't
even know they're anti-Semitic — but they
are:'

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38 July 31 • 2014

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Full-to-capacity room at the Knesset's emergency meeting on rising
anti-Semitism in Europe on July 28