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Activities

	2004
	2003
	2002

Facing Contemporary Hatred of Israel
February 19, 2002

Prof. Dalia Ofer

Contemporary European violence toward Jews is predicated on the rise of fundamentalist movements among the people of Europe and Muslims. While it is true that the current incidents of Jew-hatred include elements that were already expressed by the adherents of contemporary antisemitism and their predecessors (including Nazi ideology), we must also take into consideration the attitude of Islam toward Jews and other foreigners. Moreover, it is imperative that empirical research be conducted in order to elucidate the situation and enable us to establish a policy and basis for action.

I am currently serving as head of the Vidal Sassoon International Center for the Study of Antisemitism, where we are conducting research on the Haider phenomenon in Austria , and where a large group of researchers are studying Muslim antisemitism. Additional studies are also being planned.

We should not consider every criticism of Israel , or its ways and customs, to constitute an expression of antisemitism. We should realize that our call for aliyah will not change or alter the lifestyle of Jews living abroad. Furthermore, it is our duty to strengthen these Jewish communities insofar as their struggle against antisemitism and their Jewish identity are concerned.

His Excellency, President Moshe Katzav

The belief that the establishment of the State of Israel would bring an end to antisemitism has not materialized. Its form has changed but antisemitism continues to exist. Once more, the Jews are the “others” in the eyes of the world. The countries of Europe, and in particular France , are the centers of this reemerging sickness. The present wave of antisemitism has stricken many countries, and one of its signal features is the rejection of the establishment of Israel . Aside from the efforts to isolate Jews — which is already well known to some — the modern incarnation of antisemitism also entails hate mongering against Jews and is composed of both right- and left-wing factions. Its adherents employ a wide range of anti-Jewish statements, including denial of the Holocaust. Newspapers in certain Arab countries have even resuscitated the blood libels and accusations of ritual murder as part of Jewish religious rites. International Islamic terror organizations are the most active forces in this new wave of terror, and their actions are often most heinous. A lucid example of this was the attack on the ancient synagogue in Djerba , Tunisia in which nineteen people were killed. The terror that we in Israel have been facing for some years has now become a factor that strikes fear in the heart of world Jewry — especially Jews in Europe — as well as the entire world. The events of September 11, 2001 are clear indications of this development, and one cannot ignore the connection between international terrorism and antisemitism. Therefore, the struggle against terror also enhances the struggle against international antisemitism. About a year and a half ago, in my capacity as president of Israel , I appealed to world leaders to denounce antisemitism. I am now compelled to renew this request to the president of France and the Queen of England. We have already learnt our lesson from World War II, and we expect the rest of the world to begin to learn this lesson too.

Rabbi Michael Melchior, Deputy Foreign Minister

Rabbi Michael Melchior surveyed the antisemitic incidents that took place throughout the world from March 28 to April 28, 2002. The recorded incidents occurred in the Ukraine , France , Belgium , Australia , Canada , Tunis , Morocco , Belarus , Florida (USA), Germany , Denmark , England , and other countries. They include the deployment of bombs, graffiti on walls, and assaults on property and persons, some of which resulted in fatalities . His description emphasized the gravity of the situation and the problem that it raises. History has taught us that resigning ourselves to these facts and assaults will only result in further, graver incidents. We all recall the attitude towards Hitler during the early stages of his career, when it would have still been possible to put a halt to his machinations and thus alter the development of history. Antisemitism is an ancient phenomenon that has produced catastrophic results. The process develops in stages: from the delegitimization of Jews, to their dehumanization, and finally their demonization. This, then, clears the way for assaults against them. Today, the main thrust is being directed against Israel .

The Durban Conference against Racism was a manifestation of this program, which failed because the Muslim Arab bloc went beyond all accepted boundaries. Similar attempts were made at other conferences, such as the Conference on Human Rights in Geneva , which included a declaration that the Palestinians have the right “to use any and all means to liberate themselves from the occupation.”

The study is also important in that it depicts how current antisemitism exploits the tools and methods of classical antisemitism. For example, millions of copies of The Protocols of the Elders of Zion , a forgery produced by the Tsar's secret police, are now being distributed, and it has been published on various websites. The great fear currently derives from Islamic fundamentalism, a new version of the totalitarian ideologies of the twentieth century. It not only denies the existence of Israel , but also considers the West and Arab or Muslim states that do not accept its view to be its enem ies . Muslim antisemitism has proliferated despite the rights that Jews had been granted throughout the ages — in accordance with Muslim doctrine — as a tolerated minority.

An effective struggle against antisemitism requires the acceptance of several facts. First of all, one must accept the fact that antisemitism not only affects Jews, and the struggle against it cannot be limited to the State of Israel and Jews alone. The struggle must include the participation of other factors Secondly, it must be emphasized that antisemitism is also a threat to democratic societies throughout the world. There is no escaping the necessity to unite all the bodies that are threatened by it, including Christians, Muslims, and others. Bodies have been established in Israel to coordinate these activities. Among the institutions involved in these efforts are the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Tel Aviv University , international Jewish organizations, and government offices. The very complex struggle demands support and beyond that it also requires considerable understanding and intelligence. We cannot permit ourselves to believe that any critique of Israel is antisemitic, since it is our duty to enlist all help from wherever it may come: politicians, journalists, students, and in particular educators — as without education, we will not achieve results. To reiterate, it is our obligation to be cognizant of and alert others to the severe dangers of reconciling ourselves to antisemitic phenomena.

Dr. Meir Litvak

The struggle between Judaism and Islam was evident even during the days of the Prophet Muhammad. However, Judaism did not present a theological challenge to Islam. The status of Judaism and Jews was that of a tolerated minority. However, there were occasional, isolated exceptions to this traditional acceptance: for example persecutions in Iran during the 17th and 19th centuries, the Blood Libel in Damascus , and others. It has been contended that these isolated incidents were imported from Western countries.

Islamic antisemitism began towards the end of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th century, partly as a result of the humiliation and threat that Western civilization posed to Islam. Islam was incapable of relinquishing its self-image as a conquering religion and accepting the fact that it was, in fact, conquered and humiliated by the West. Christianity and Judaism were both identified with the West and very little distinction was made between the two. Nonetheless, the West influenced the development of Muslim antisemitism. The establishment of the State of Israel has further exacerbated the situation, as the Jews are no longer a despised minority, but are considered conquerors who have stolen Muslim lands.

These trends were especially strengthened after the Six-Day War, as Arab governmental bodies sought to justify their need to destroy the State of Israel. Instead of dealing with their defeat and failure in the war, they relieved their shame and humiliation by venting their hatred onto the Jews. As mentioned above, some of their motifs came from the West — for example, the blood libels and others. In addition, the Arab leadership sought arguments from Soviet propaganda, which included amongst other sources quotations from Karl Marx.

Similar to antisemitic ideologies in other countries, many of the Islamic antisemitic charges are replete with contradictions. On the one hand, they argue that the Jews are not a nation, yet they claim that the Jews are a well-organized people whose aim is to rule the world. Alternatively, the Jews are not a race or distinct people, but on the other hand they assert that the Jews take great care to maintain their distinction and the purity of their race. The argument can thus be made that antisemitism stands at the root of the Israel-Arab conflict. and that it is not a consequence of this struggle. That said, one cannot ignore the fact that antisemitism has exacerbated the struggle by presenting it as a ubiquitous conflict and has contributed to the efforts to deny the very existence of Israel .

During the peace process, there was a slight decrease in antisemitic incidents. However, the authorities unfortunately permitted certain circles, in particular the intellectuals, to continue with their antisemitic remarks and no effort was made to rein them in. Furthermore, since the 1970s the Islamic movement, along with its antisemitic beliefs, has flourished. It is now both a social and religious party that is firmly rooted among the lower classes. To them, Israel represents Islam's inability to contend with the modern world. In fact, Judaism has represented this same theme for several generations. Due to the Israel-Palestinian struggle, many Palestinians, and in particular the Hamas movement, have placed a strong emphasis on antisemitism. Hamas asserts that the struggle is basically religious: absolute truth in the face of absolute lies; light verses darkness; and holiness against the infidel. In addition, the Jews of Israel are responsible for the secularization that threatens the Muslim world . The arguments combine European motifs and Muslim traditions, which date back to the polemics between the Prophet Muhammad and the Jews. The current struggle is directly connected to these views. In contrast to the classical Muslim view (according to which the Jew is a despised, downtrodden minority), Islamic fundamentalist see the Jews as a foe that must be destroyed. Globalization is seen as an objective of world Jewry and among its goals is the humiliation of Islam.

The Muslims in Europe suffer from discrimination. They are members of the lower echelons of society, and this situation encourages them to support the radical, fundamentalist, antisemitic strands of Islam. This antisemitism is not brought to bear with the full power of the Arab states, but it is a fundamental religious ideology and thus all the more difficult to contend with.

The demonization of the Jews has reached its peak with the justification of the Holocaust. Interestingly enough, concomitant to the justification of the Holocaust comes its denial! Very little has been done within Arab and Muslim society to cope with the scourge of antisemitism . At best, it is deemed one of the failures of Arab society by a minority of its intellectuals.

Mr. Avi Idan

From its inception, Israel has taken upon itself the responsibility for the fate of Jewry and is therefore obliged to think in terms of collective Jewish policies. An excellent example of international Jewish cooperation was the efforts to bring the Jews of the former Soviet Union to Israel . This was a well-planned program whose influence exceeded the boundaries of Russian Jewry and for that matter even world Jewry.

This discussion calls to mind a situation that transpired in the early 1990s in the city of Dushnova , the capital of the central Asian country of Tajikistan , which was then home to approximately 5,000 Jews. A civil war erupted, and the Jews found themselves in danger. The country sealed off all its borders; in any event, the area's hilly topography renders access difficult even under the best of circumstances. Despite the transportation difficulties, we came up with solutions that enabled us to bring these Jews to Israel . When I reached the area, I found that the Jews had concentrated around the synagogue and were looking towards the heavens for Israeli planes to whisk them away to Israel . In short, during times of crisis, Jews expect Israel to come to their rescue. It seems to me that in general this is the manner in which Israel has come to be viewed in the Diaspora .

Concerning the topic at hand, the international situation — much to our chagrin — has changed; it has become much more threatening. Consequently, we must reassess situations in a different manner. In the past, Israel exhibited the wherewithal to plan and realize the goal of “the aliyah of Russian Jewry.” This enterprise was made possible thanks to the cooperation of various elements from among the Jewish people throughout the world. We must examine the surging wave of antisemitism in a similar, united fashion in order to truly understand its impact. Such a joint effort, involving both Israel and world Jewry, should entail an operational program that is predicated on the fact that the Jews in Israel are responsible for their brethren abroad. Israel must assume a central role in both the planning and operation of this program against the new strand of antisemitism .

Note: Following the lectures and designated responses, the panel fielded questions from the audience and a discussion ensued. The question and answer session has been published in its entirety in a volume that includes all the meetings of the President's Forum on Diaspora Jewry in 2003.

A full version of this conference can be found in the book of the Forum or in the website of Prisedent House: www.president.gov.il