Guest Column

Rising Global Anti-Semitism

ISRAEL
YOUR
DAYS
ARE

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Anti-Israel protests can have anti-Semitic overtones.

A

II over the globe, this sum-
mer has been marred by
anti-Semitic violence and
increased anti-Semitic rhetoric that
permeates many protests against
Israel in Europe and in the U.S. These
new developments are shocking and
unacceptable, and come in the wake
of the release of the ADL Global 100
poll of anti-Semitic attitudes in which
one-quarter of those polled in 100
countries were identified as having
deep-seated anti-Semitic attitudes. A
particularly disturbing finding was that
four out of 10 people around the world
question the loyalty of Jews to their
own country. Many people believe that
hostility toward Israel is really a cam-
ouflage for hostility toward Jews.
The ADL has seen a dramatic
upsurge in violence and vitriol against
Jews around the world during and

Dry Bones AS SEES ISRAEL
IT

A PALESTINIAN UNITY
GOVERNMENT VVITN HAMAS
AS PART OF IT ...

related to Israel's recent military
action to stop Hamas rockets and tun-
nels in Gaza.
ADL reported serious incidents,
directly related to anti-
Israel protests, of attacks
against Jews and Jewish
communal buildings in
Western Europe, South
America, Canada, Australia
and North and South
Africa. From France to
Argentina, from Canada
to Chile, synagogues were
attacked, Jewish cultural
centers were vandalized,
Jewish shops were threat-
ened and identifiably
Jewish individuals beaten on the
street. Anti-Semitism is in the air and
in the streets.

Anti-Semitism Abroad

A few examples include: in
Sydney, Australia, six young
males boarded a bus filled with
a group of Jewish students
aged 5 to 12, shouting, "Heil
Hitler" and "Kill the Jews"
while threatening violence.
In Toulouse, France, follow-
ing an anti-Israel demonstra-
tion, a protestor tossed two
Molotov cocktails at the Jewish
Community Center. In Paris,
police arrested 16 people for
shouting, "Death to the Jews"
at patrons of a restaurant in
the old Jewish Quarter. Also
in Paris, two synagogues were
attacked during a large anti-
Israel protest.
In Wuppertal, Germany,
Molotov cocktails were thrown
at the doors of a local syna-
gogue. In Amsterdam, a fire-
bomb was tossed at an apart-
ment belonging to a Jewish

FOR
WORLD PEACE
ISRAEL MUST
BE DESTROYED

NUMBERED

woman who was flying an Israeli flag
on her balcony. In Hungary, a town
mayor hung in effigy the Israeli prime
minister and former president. In
Belfast, Ireland, the windows
of a local synagogue were
smashed on consecutive
days. In Rome, anti-Semitic
graffiti and flyers, including
swastikas, were found on the
shops and walls of the city's
historic Jewish neighborhood.
In Malmo, Sweden, a
glass bottle was thrown
at a rabbi's car while the
assailants shouted, "f*cking
Jews." The main synagogue
in Malmo was also attacked
by vandals who hurled bottles, break-
ing the windows of the building. In
Tunisia, a 38-year-old Jewish man
was stabbed in the chest by a masked
Muslim assailant in the city's Jewish
market who shouted, "the nation of
Muhammad returns for vengeance."
There is some good news: French,
German and Italian leaders have set
clear guidelines for what are unac-
ceptable forms of protest and have
made it clear that anti-Semitism has
no place in their societies. I agree
wholeheartedly with their assessment
that Jews must be able to live secure-
ly in Europe, no matter what happens
in the Middle East.

Anti-Semitism At Home

There have been many incidents in
the United States as well as abroad.
For example, in Florida, Congregation
Torah V'Emunah was spray-painted
with the word "Hamas" and swasti-
kas on its front entrance. The recent
brutal murder of a rabbi in Miami,
although not classified as a hate
crime by law enforcement, may possi-
bly be connected to his being identifi-
ably Jewish.

In Malibu, Calif., phrases such as
"Jews=Killers" and "Jews are Killing
Innocent Children" were found near
the entrance to a Jewish summer
camp. In Chicago, anti-Semitic leaf-
lets, which threatened violence if
Israel does not pull out of Gaza, were
left on cars in Peterson Park, a pre-
dominantly Orthodox Jewish neigh-
borhood. In addition, the New Black
Panthers are exploiting the Gaza con-
flict to promote anti-Semitism.
American Jewish institutions have
also been targeted online. The website
of Congregation Beth Am Israel in
Penn Valley, Pa., was hacked with the
phrase "end Israeli violence in #Gaza"
and an image of Muhammad Abu
Khdeir, a Palestinian who was killed
in Jerusalem by what appears to be a
group of Jewish extremists.
Additionally, the popularity of some
disturbing Hitler-related hashtags
on Twitter has grown in reaction
to Israel's Operation Protective
Edge" such as #HitlerWasRight and
#HitlerDidNothingWrong.
Our own community is not immune.
There have been swastikas placed
on lawns, and students have been
harassed inside and outside of the
classroom. I fear that as the school
year begins, there may be increased
anti-Semitic activity on our local col-
lege campuses.
The ADL will offer workshops to
middle-school, high-school and college
students on confronting anti-Semi-
tism. Contact the ADL for more infor-
mation on workshops at (248) 353-
7553, and visit www.adl.org for more
in-depth information on the rising tide
of anti-Semitism. Global 100 results
can be found at: http://globa1100.adl .
org.

❑

Heidi Budaj is director of ADL Michigan

Region.

JIB

August 21 • 2014

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