The new British anti-Semitism

[Behind the Aegis]

Last update - 11:10 16/02/2006

By Robert Wistrich

Earlier this month, a parliamentary committee of inquiry began to hear testimony on the subject of the proliferation of anti-Semitism in Britain, with the aim of submitting a report that would aid the government of Britain in combating the phenomenon.

This matter took on added significance in light of the trial of Abu Hamza, one of the leaders of the Islamic organization "al-Muhajiroun" (the Exiles), who is accused of inciting to murder Jews and recruiting British Muslims for objectives of the global Jihad. In the wake of a few studies that I have published about the issue, I was asked by the British House of Commons to appear before a parliamentary committee of inquiry.

In fact, Britain has begun to generate its own suicide terrorists - for instance, Asif Mohammed Hanif, who blew himself up in April 2003 at "Mike's Place" in Tel Aviv, killing three civilians and wounding scores of others. Since then, homegrown Muslim terrorism struck in the heart of London, on July 7, 2005. This was not an anti-Jewish action but part of the global Jihad which threatens the West as a whole. But for some leading Muslim clerics like Sheikh Omar Bakri Muhammad (recently expelled from Britain), Jews, Christians and the West are all part of the "infidel" enemy to be destroyed. He and Abu Hamza openly recruited Muslim youth for "holy war" in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Palestine.

In absolute numbers, Great Britain is today second only to France in serious anti-Semitic incidents among European countries. The hostile climate of opinion has been accompanied by an increase in violent assaults in the last two years. The number of synagogue desecrations has also soared, as well as serious attacks in the London neighborhood of Finsbury Park, and in the cities of Swansea and Edinburgh. A near-tripling in anti-Semitic incidents in British schools prompted the National Union of Teachers to issue new guidelines in July 2003 for combating anti-Semitism. There were also acts of vandalism in the months following the American invasion of Iraq, such as the desecration of a Jewish cemetery in the East End of London, where more than 400 graves were smashed. Last June, particularly ugly desecrations took place in Manchester and London cemeteries.

more...

[adriennui]

1. eurabia

jews are the perennial scapegoats, that is the reason for israel.

[freedum]

3. re: "jews are the perennial scapegoats"

- if you read european papers from Financial Times to El Pais and check reports from most Human Rights agencies the main targets of discrimanation, racism and assault in Europe today are Arabs and Africans.

[Colorado Blue]

5. This is indeed a serious problem. However, the rate of

increase of attacks on Jews is startling.

And, the sheer numbers of Arabs and Africans vs. Jews don't begin to be comparable. The population of Jews WORLDWIDE is 13 million. There are just a relative handful living outside the US and Israel, yet the Jewish people continue to be major targets. Jewish schools, cemeteries and religious institutions are frequently attacked and Jews are routinely blamed for causing various catastrophes - the most recent being the cartoon flap; before that it was Iraq, ad infinitum.

On the other hand, Arabs and Africans are beginning to comprise a significant percentage of Europe's population. I would argue that they are being targeted largely for the same reasons that African-Americans are targeted here: straight-up racism.

It's wrong, but manageable I think, over time, once people become more familiar with each other. Normal xenophobia is bad, but it lacks the sinister implications of antisemitism, which has devastated Jewish populations for 2,000 years and is a deeply ingrained illness of our civilization.

[Benbow]

14. Hear hear n/t

[Coastie for Truth]

2. I hate to give the movement any credibility

but there is a segment of the self described, self accredited, self anointed wing of the progressive movement that has gone beyond "mere" anti-Zionism to apparent anti-Semitism.

[barb162]

18. It's better to bring it out in the open as you are doing

[Andromeda]

33. There's a lot of that going on.

They don't call it anti-Semitism though. By the way, what's the difference between anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism? I can't seem to reconcile that. How do you have one without the other?

[freedum]

4. point by point

The time-tested way to fight real anti-Semitism is to join others in a fight for justice for all peoples, not just one ethnic group. For example, blast the ADL for opposing Affirmative Action at a time when Black Americans face severe discrimation when looking for jobs as the periodic studies by Harvard, etc reveal over and over again.

Onto the article:

1) The Abu Hamzas of the world would lose any kernel of truth contained in their crafty propaganda if the Jewish diaspora focused their energies on pressuring the American and Israeli gov'ts to do what Shlomo Ben-Ami says:

"I want to say it very clearly, it is because I define myself as an ardent Zionist that thinks that the best for the Jews in Israel is that we abandon the territories and we dismantle settlements and we try to reach a reasonable settlement with our Palestinian partners. It's not because I am concerned with the Palestinians. I want to be very clear about it. My interpretation, my approach is not moralistic. It's strictly political."
-- SHLOMO BEN-AMI, 02.14.2006
DemocracyNow!

2)

"As many as one in five Britons believe the Holocaust is "exaggerated""

-- I'd very much like to see how the question was asked in this case.

3)

"a similar percentage would not vote for a Jewish prime minister"

-- would they vote for an African or Asian prime minister? Perhaps, they'd vote for a Muslim prime minister? this is a rigged question, no matter how it's asked.

4)

a much higher number hold conventional anti-Semitic stereotypes about the link between Jews and money.

- do Jewish people live in the Shtetl these days? or may be the Warsaw Ghetto? or are they mainstream members of society and in the largest diaspora, in the US, are quite wealthy?

5)

"As elsewhere in Western Europe, over 50 percent of Britons think Israel is the greatest danger to world peace."

- that's supposed to be an example of anti-Semitism? well, let's see now, the Israeli Occupation is the longest military occupation in modern history, running almost 40 years. Israel is the only country in the world to have legalized torture from 1987 to 1999 (yes, look it up). Israel is a regional superpower that engages in what B'Tselem, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel, Physicians for Human Rights Israel have all described as torture. And yes, America is worse because America is the stronger superpower and therefore it's misdeeds, from Guantanamo to Abu Ghraib to Falluja, have a wider impact around the world. The Israeli torture of Palestinian prisoners resonates across the Muslim world and fuels fanaticism, gives the minimal necessary amount of credibility to anti-Israeli propaganda and motivates angry Arab/Muslim youth to fight Israel and Israelis.

If Israel does as Ben-Ami says above, the 2-state settlement, approved worldwide since the 1970s, is secured, this opinion will go away on its own. The way to do this is to pressure the Israeli and US gov'ts to withdraw all settlements from the West Bank and East Jerusalem and hand over complete territorial and border control over the Occupied Territories to the Palestinians.

Once again the Jewish Chronicle doesn't come off as an impartial source. It's like asking the US bureau of Pravda about the persecution of Communists in western Democracies.

6)

"The old-new anti-Semitism in Britain"

-- this is truelly a remarkable example of an intellectual (or one claiming to be one) complicating things way beyond what they need to be to make himself seem more important, to further his career as the "old-new-to-the-Nth-degree-anti-Semitism watcher extraordinaire." Afterall, if there was only one anti-Semitism -- this fellow might have to face the open market and look for a real job.

7)

This is evidenced by the unacceptable ease with which Israel is accused of "ethnic cleansing" or genocide of the Palestinians.

-- even virulently anti-Palestinian Israeli historian and Jerusalem Post journalist Benny Moris has been honest enough to admit that some form of ethnic cleansing of Palestinians by the Israelis took place in 1947-1948 during the founding of the State. the historians and human rights organizations are in agreement on this fact. look it up.

[Name removed]

6. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Spinoza]

7. Are you arguing that

anti-Semitism does not exist in Britain today? Or that even if it exists it represents such a minor phenomenon, that it should not be highlighted or investigated or combatted?

"The time-tested way to fight real anti-Semitism is to join others in a fight for justice for all peoples, not just one ethnic group." So do you also agree that Americans, including African-Americans, should not focus on or investigate anti-Black racism in the U.S., but instead should "join others in a fight for justice for all peoples". BOTH struggles (for universal equality and rights AND the highlighting and combatting of specific injustices against specific groups) cannot simultaneously take place? (Of course it is well known that many many Jews have been in the forefront--and have suffered accordingly--in the fight for African-American civil rights in the U.S.)

In your zeal to combat ALL the points brought out in this highly erudite essay, you give the impression that anti-semitism, which I think you would have to agree represents, at a minimum, the longest sustained persecution of a minority in human history, is of no great importance to understand and combat. I would appreciate your response and clarification.

[Benbow]

16. There is some determined shroud-waving being organised by the

Jewish authorities in Britain, led by the Chief Rabbi. Most people see through his posturing. Anti-Semitism in Britain today is a tiny blip compared to the violence and discrimination experienced by the black and asian communities here.

[Spinoza]

17. "Shroud-Waving"?

"Thine own mouth condemneth thee".

[Benbow]

25. Look it up in the dictionary n/t

[Behind the Aegis]

28. Because it is a tiny blip...

...it is therefore unimportant and not a "real" problem?

[Dutch]

29. Easy to say when you're not on the end of it.

But given his position it would be gross negligence for Dr Sacks NOT to speak up against rising anti-semitism in Britian - and yes, we've had the desecrations of graves and vandalisation of businesses in my home town as in so many others. To merely respond with a flip "blacks and asians have it worse" is a callous insult to the Jewish community. It's often a calculated one, too.

[Coastie for Truth]

30. My opinion

<>

[Name removed]

8. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Tom Joad]

9. His current position is that it was a terrible mistake to not force ALL

the Palestinians to leave their homeland in 1948.
He does do a good job of documenting how the Israeli military and Jewish armed (terror) groups forced Palestinians to leave. I don't think there are more than a few who believe the old myth that Palestinians heard on the radio that they should pack up and leave.
In fact, what Palestinians DID hear on the radio were pleas by Arab leaders to STAY in their homes.
Unfortunatly, facts on the ground, as documented by Benny Morris and others, forced them to leave their homes and homeland.

So Jim, what do you think? Should Israel finish the job it began in 1948, and rid Israel/Palestine of its Palestinian inhabitants? Is this what people believe when they "snap out of it"? Should Israel "transfer" the Palestinian people, and establish "peace"?

[Tom Joad]

10. Great stuff, Freedum, welcome to DU!

Great analysis.
Very important to work against all forms of bigotry.

[Wordie]

11. Welcome to DU, freedum!

:hi:

You certainly are brave for a newcomer...jumping right into the I/P forum!

...and that was a great post! :applause:

[Behind the Aegis]

12. point by point

The time-tested way to fight real anti-Semitism is to join others in a fight for justice for all peoples, not just one ethnic group. For example, blast the ADL for opposing Affirmative Action at a time when Black Americans face severe discrimination when looking for jobs as the periodic studies by Harvard, etc reveal over and over again.

No, the time-tested way to fight anti-Semitism is to fight anti-Semitism. It is not to say that other groups cannot also engage in fighting discrimination of other groups, but if you are combating racism, you focus, you don't 'scatter-shot." BTW, your example of the ADL is incorrect. The ADL does not oppose Affirmative Action.

Onto your points:

1) The Abu Hamzas of the world would lose any kernel of truth contained in their crafty propaganda if the Jewish diaspora focused their energies on pressuring the American and Israeli gov'ts to do what Shlomo Ben-Ami says:

"I want to say it very clearly, it is because I define myself as an ardent Zionist that thinks that the best for the Jews in Israel is that we abandon the territories and we dismantle settlements and we try to reach a reasonable settlement with our Palestinian partners. It's not because I am concerned with the Palestinians. I want to be very clear about it. My interpretation, my approach is not moralistic. It's strictly political."
-- SHLOMO BEN-AMI, 02.14.2006
DemocracyNow!

The Abu Hamzas of the world have no truth, they are simply murderers and inciters to murders. He is not calling for the liberation of Palestine, he is calling for the murder of Jews! He makes no distinction to Jews in Israel, Jews in the UK, or Jews elsewhere. he is no different than those preachers who call for the death to Muslims, especially after 9-11.

2)
"As many as one in five Britons believe the Holocaust is "exaggerated""

-- I'd very much like to see how the question was asked in this case.

"The scale of the Nazi holocaust against the Jews during the Second World War has been exaggerated" ICM REMEMBRANCE DAY POLL 2004

3)
"a similar percentage would not vote for a Jewish prime minister"

-- would they vote for an African or Asian prime minister? Perhaps, they'd vote for a Muslim prime minister? this is a rigged question, no matter how it's asked.

That wasn't the question, was it? I believe this is what is called a "strawman." Perhaps, if similar questions were asked about the other groups you mention, we might find the same numbers. However, it is irrelevant to the question of the issue of anti-Semitism. If the survey were about general discrimination and bigotry, you might have a point.

4)
a much higher number hold conventional anti-Semitic stereotypes about the link between Jews and money.

- do Jewish people live in the Shtetl these days? or may be the Warsaw Ghetto? or are they mainstream members of society and in the largest diaspora, in the US, are quite wealthy?

It doesn't matter where Jews live. The statement says people hold "conventional" (read: common) anti-Semitic stereotypes. The last part of your statement, is in fact, a conventional stereotype. Perhaps because Blacks are an overwhelming majority of the prison populations, you'd agree that Blacks are more prone to crime? Or, would you see that as a racist assumption, not based in reality because of the simplistic "more Blacks are in jail?"

5)
"As elsewhere in Western Europe, over 50 percent of Britons think Israel is the greatest danger to world peace."

- that's supposed to be an example of anti-Semitism? well, let's see now, the Israeli Occupation is the longest military occupation in modern history, running almost 40 years. Israel is the only country in the world to have legalized torture from 1987 to 1999 (yes, look it up). Israel is a regional superpower that engages in what B'Tselem, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel, Physicians for Human Rights Israel have all described as torture. And yes, America is worse because America is the stronger superpower and therefore it's misdeeds, from Guantanamo to Abu Ghraib to Falluja, have a wider impact around the world. The Israeli torture of Palestinian prisoners resonates across the Muslim world and fuels fanaticism, gives the minimal necessary amount of credibility to anti-Israeli propaganda and motivates angry Arab/Muslim youth to fight Israel and Israelis.

If Israel does as Ben-Ami says above, the 2-state settlement, approved worldwide since the 1970s, is secured, this opinion will go away on its own. The way to do this is to pressure the Israeli and US gov'ts to withdraw all settlements from the West Bank and East Jerusalem and hand over complete territorial and border control over the Occupied Territories to the Palestinians.

Once again the Jewish Chronicle doesn't come off as an impartial source. It's like asking the US bureau of Pravda about the persecution of Communists in western Democracies.

It is not an example of anti-Semitism, it is an explanation for some anti-Semitism. People tie all Jews to Israel. Recent acts against Jews world-wide have been tied to anti-Israeli sentiment. It is the blurring of lines between anti-Semitism, anti-Zionism, and anti-Israeli issues. As for the torture issue, Israel is certainly not the only country to have legalized torture at one point or another in its history. It doesn't excuse it, but it is not unique.

Ahh..the "worldwide approved" two state settlement. You do realize that Israel is not the only one at the table, correct? Does any of the blame for this two-state creation not being created lie with the other side, the Palestinians? Perhaps if the terrorist organizations in the occupied territories give up their credo calling for the total destruction of Israel, some things may change.

So, if a similar survey about African-American mistreatment was created by the NAACP, it could be dismissed as "an impartial source?"

6)
"The old-new anti-Semitism in Britain"

-- this is truly a remarkable example of an intellectual (or one claiming to be one) complicating things way beyond what they need to be to make himself seem more important, to further his career as the "old-new-to-the-Nth-degree-anti-Semitism watcher extraordinaire." Afterall, if there was only one anti-Semitism -- this fellow might have to face the open market and look for a real job.

Anti-Semitism is very active. Your dismissive attitude is troubling because it allows for the culture of anti-Semitism to thrive because it is deemed as unimportant or not as big a problem as something else. Do you really not understand the concept of the "old-new anti-Semitism?" Simply, it is the old anti-Semitic beliefs that have morphed into another form, anti-Israeli/anti-Zionist attitudes. This is not to say all criticism of Israel, or even Zionism, is anti-Semitic in nature, it is not. But to deny that some of the criticism is based in the "old" anti-Semitism, creating a "new" anti-Semitism, is short-sighted and wholly incorrect!

7)
This is evidenced by the unacceptable ease with which Israel is accused of "ethnic cleansing" or genocide of the Palestinians.

-- even virulently anti-Palestinian Israeli historian and Jerusalem Post journalist Benny Moris has been honest enough to admit that some form of ethnic cleansing of Palestinians by the Israelis took place in 1947-1948 during the founding of the State. the historians and human rights organizations are in agreement on this fact. look it up.

You completely miss the point of that statement. Many "activists" throw around the words genocide and ethnic cleansing too easily when speaking about Israel. Genocide has not occurred and ethnic cleansing is complicated and complex. However, when it comes to "discussing" Israel, nuance is thrown out the window, mainly by those who would protest if similar remarks were being made about Arabs.

Face it, some "pro-Palestinian" activists are simply anti-Israeli, and some of them are simply anti-Semitic. It works the other way, too.

[Andromeda]

13. Bravo, BTA...

:applause:

[Benbow]

15. Good response n/t

[barb162]

19. ADL opposes Affirmative Action ??? Link from ADL please

I am really wondering where you are coming up with some of your points.

[bemildred]

20. Probably means this:

http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=5752

[barb162]

22. ADL Urges Supreme Court to Support Diversity in Higher Education

http://www.adl.org/PresRele/SupremeCourt_33/4219_32.htm

Press Release Supreme Court

ADL Urges Supreme Court to Support Diversity in Higher Education But Not Through Racial Preferences

New York, NY, January 15, 2003 … While recognizing the fundamental value of diversity in higher education, the Anti-Defamation League stated its opposition to the University of Michigan’s admissions programs to achieve that goal in its amicus, or “friend of the court,” brief to be filed with the United States Supreme Court. Grutter v. Bollinger concerns the constitutionality of racial preferences in the University’s undergraduate and law school admissions system. This is the first case in which the Court has revisited the issue of affirmative action in higher education since the Regents of the University of California v. Bakke (1978).


“We believe in the value of diversity in higher education, as elsewhere,” said Glen A. Tobias, ADL National Chairman, and Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director. “However, we also believe that the racial preference route the University of Michigan chose to get there is unacceptable and cannot withstand constitutional scrutiny.”

ADL’s brief argues that the University’s admissions programs in question involve an unconstitutional use of race to achieve their ultimate goal of a diversified student population, but urged the Court to nevertheless recognize the fundamental value of diversity in higher education.

“People must be judged as individuals, not as members of group,” said Mr. Tobias and Mr. Foxman. “This principle is too important to compromise, even where, as in this case, the University is acting with the best possible intentions to achieve a more diverse student body. We believe that goal can be achieved in ways that do not require race-based decision making.”
snip

[bemildred]

23. I wasn't offering to engage in discussion about it.

I don't care what ADL supports, or not. I was just trying to help with a link.

However, it does seem clear that "diversity in higher education" is
a much weaker requirement than preferences or set-asides, which is
usually what is meant by strong affirmative action.

Now you can resume your discussion with the other fellow.

[Coastie for Truth]

31. Don't think so.

From George Romney through William Miliken and Jim Blanchard - Michigan embarked on an aggressive and expensive "college building" and "college upgrading" spree- with two "Public Ivies" (University of Michigan and Michigan State Univ), and three other full service (PhD) public universities (Wayne, Rochester, Michigan Tech). GOP Governor John Engler cut back the building and expansion. One could say rising expectations were crushed.

The law suit involves the public law school at University of Michigan. In point of fact, there are two other public law schools in Michigan, Wayne and Michigan State Univ - "DCL" ("DCL" was financially failing - and was bailed out by the state and relocated in East Lansing). There are two private law schools in the state - University of Detroit and Cooley.

BTW - Michigan has an affirmative action/subsidized tuition plan pre-dating statehood with the Menominee Nation, and is (I think) the only state in the Union to allow laid off workers to attend school full time without losing their unemployment compensation.

BTW - Heard on the street at Maple and Orchard Lake at Board Walk Mall - this suit was pushed by Repuke former Governor Engler when he did not further expand U of M Law School (as his predecessor, Jim Blanchard had promised) -- The issue started out as going forward with the expansion - and Repuke Engler answered "Well we put the Ann Arbor Expansion Money into East Lansing." If you have never lived in Michigan and been in higher education in Michigan - you have no idea what a non answer pitting The University of Michigan (Ann Arbor) against the Michigan State University (East Lansing) is.

In Michigan, anything that forces Ann Arbor applicants to go to East Lansing is an emotional, hot button issue. It's crazier then UCLA versus Berkeley or UT-Austin versus A&M or Stony Brook versus Albany versus Binghamton versus Buffalo.

Tuebor

Si Quaeris Peninsulam Amoenam Circumspice,

Relevant parts of CV--

*Lived in MI during the Blanchard and Engler Administrations

*Kids are graduates of Michigan Public Schools and MSU

*Affiliated on a part time basis with a small private engineering school in Southfield, MI

*Senior Member of the Professional Staff of an alternative, renewable, and green energy combined think tank, venture fund, incubator in Troy MI

*Worked for Democratic candidates - Jim Blanchard, Sander Levin, Jack Faxon.

BOUGHT MY CARS FROM JOHN CONYERS

[Coastie for Truth]

24. Please - read some history

You have said

For example, blast the ADL for opposing Affirmative Action at a time when Black Americans face severe discrimination when looking for jobs as the periodic studies by Harvard, etc reveal over and over again.

Please do some reading. Let me start you off by suggesting:

1. "The Chosen : The Hidden History of Admission and Exclusion at Harvard, Yale, and Princeton" by Jerome Karabel (Karabel is a tenured professor at University of California) (Karabel does mention the drive led by some of the "Public Ivies" to rid their campuses of "Outside Agitators" during the late 1960's-early 1970's -"Outside Agitators" was a common late 1960's-early 1970s synonym for JEWS).

2. "America Alone : The Neo-Conservatives and the Global Order" by Stefan Halper and Jonathan Clarke (Suggested to me by an another appender. Nominally to show the growth of the PNAC-Neocon Movement; actually has a few pages describing how the most obnoxiously vocal Neocon are a reaction to certain perceived excesses in Affirmative Action in admissions and tenure.)

3.

4. Commentary Magazine- Just start from the early 1960's when the magazine was a liberal, NYC magazine, and go through ten years of article to the early 1970's when it became a neo-con mouthpiece.

In that era - I was completing my military obligation, completing my graduate education, starting a family and career, and getting involved in politics -- for one to glibly say

For example, blast the ADL for opposing Affirmative Action at a time when Black Americans face severe discrimination when looking for jobs as the periodic studies by Harvard, etc reveal over and over again.

shows an ignorance of "facts on the ground."

The facts leading up to Bakke (and there were hundreds of local "Bakkes" around the country) was to result in what some said was an overbuilding of medical schools.

In point of fact - the Jewish response to "Affirmative Action" in higher education was to get behind the massive "College Building" spree of the time -- and expand the college infrastructure to accommodate those who had previously been denied access -and not to deny access. This was the era of Romney's and Rockefeller's, and Shapp's and Jerry Brown's great college building spree.

So, I can tell you as an "angry veteran" seeking public office in the 1970's, your initial assumption is dead wrong and your accusation is dead wrong.

[barb162]

21. Anti-semitism in UK 'unacceptably high'

Anti-semitism in UK 'unacceptably high'

Hugh Muir
Friday February 3, 2006
The Guardian


Jewish community leaders yesterday described the level of anti-semitism in Britain as unacceptably high as it emerged that the number of incidents last year was the second highest on record.
The Community Security Trust recorded 455 anti-semitic race hate incidents throughout the UK in 2005, continuing the rising trend since 1979 when 219 instances were reported.

Although the 2005 figure was lower than the previous year, Mark Gardner, CST spokesman, said indicators of violent assaults and abusive behaviour were "remarkably consistent" with the record 2004 figures.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/race/story/0,,1701150,00.html

[Benbow]

26. Said Jewish community leaders (not independent comment) n/t

[Behind the Aegis]

27. So what is acceptable to you?

The UK's own resources show that there has been an increase in anti-Semitism in the past ten years. This last year saw a slight decrease, but not by much.

[Andromeda]

32. Since it's Jews that are affected by this ....

increase in anti-Semitism I wouldn't expect "independent" comment to be more important than the people who are actually experiencing the effects of anti-Semitism.