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Anti-Semitism again a hot-button issue in Europe
January 26, 2015 by CATHY YOUNG
International Holocaust Remembrance Day, established by the United Nations 10 years ago, marks the date of the liberation of Auschwitz. Today, it also marks the 70th anniversary of that event -- and takes place amid rising alarm about anti-Semitism and xenophobia in Europe. As the world mourns the Nazi slaughter of Jews, are ancient hatreds new again?
In France earlier this month, the radical Islamist terror attack on the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo led many to voice concerns about the danger of an anti-Muslim backlash. But the first act of hate-motivated violence that followed was against Jews. Two days after the massacre at the magazine, a gunman who said he belonged to the terrorist group, the Islamic State, attacked a kosher supermarket where he held several people hostage and fatally shot four. This tragedy comes on the heels of an outbreak of anti-Jewish violence in the country last summer. In a survey of European Jews released in 2013, three-quarters said anti-Semitism in their country had worsened in the last five years; nearly 30 percent said they had considered emigrating because they did not feel safe as Jews.
The growth of far-right parties in Europe, some of which have distinctly neo-fascist overtones, has contributed to fears over the resurgence of anti-Semitism. But in recent years, increasing attention has been focused on a new kind bigotry by some on the left: hatred of Israel and Zionism, far beyond reasonable criticism of Israeli policies, that crosses the line into hatred of Jews.
A stark reminder of how easily Israel-blaming can turn into Jew-blaming was provided recently -- ironically, at a Paris unity march in the wake of the recent terror attacks. A woman at the march, the daughter of Holocaust survivors, told BBC News reporter Tim Wilcox, "We have to not be afraid to say that the Jews are the target now." Wilcox responded, "Many critics of Israel's policy would suggest that the Palestinians suffer hugely at Jewish hands as well." This comment, for which Wilcox has since apologized as "poorly phrased," seems to suggest that attacks on Jews in Europe must be weighed against the Israeli government's actions toward Palestinians.
Most critics of Israel angrily reject charges of anti-Semitism as a smear. Yet, too often, they are far too willing to accept disturbing moral equivalencies. Journalist Glenn Greenwald has equated Charlie Hebdo's cartoons of the prophet Muhammad with Nazi-style cartoons in which physically repulsive Jews are seen as manipulating politicians and the media. He suggested that Western public opinion is being hypocritical in condoning cartoons of Muhammad while condemning cartoons of the Holocaust -- as if racial bigotry and mockery of mass slaughter were comparable to ridicule directed at religious beliefs.
There is no question that anti-Muslim bigotry exists; yet statistics indicate that Jews are much more frequent victims of hate crimes -- many of them committed by Islamic extremists.
The good news is that, especially in the wake of recent events in France, there has been a new focus on anti-Semitism and a new resolve to combat it -- among other things, to strongly reject any suggestion that disagreement with Israeli policies can be an excuse for bias against Jews. At the Paris unity march, placards that said "Je suis Charlie" were seen side by side with ones that said, "Je suis Juif Français" -- "I am a French Jew."
Last week, the United Nations General Assembly held its first meeting on anti-Semitism, with the world's Muslim nations joining in the call to combat anti-Jewish bigotry. It remains to be seen if these noble words will be followed by substantive action.
Cathy Young is a regular contributor to Reason magazine and Real Clear Politics.
