When the full horrors of Auschwitz and other concentration camps became known after the defeat of Adolph Hitler and his murderous horde of Nazis, the world vowed never again that such a heinous crime against humanity should be allowed to happen.

Anti-Semitism is Back

Yet in 2020, the 75^th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, the spectre of anti-Semitism is once again casting its ugly shadow in too many European countries. The sad fact is that even today, being a Jew can get you harassed, or even killed.

One example can be found in France. French Yellow Vest protests that began against a proposed fuel-tax hike began to air anti-Semitic strains such as “dirty Jew.”

French philosopher Bernard-Henri Levy took to the radio airwaves in February 2019 to call the Yellow Vest movement out.

“We, unfortunately, cannot say that anti-Semitism is on the margins of the movement,” Lévy told Europe 1 Radio. “It is the heart of the movement … That doesn’t mean that the movement is intrinsically anti-Semitic, but it does mean that it is time for them to come forward strongly to say, ‘Not in our name,’ not like they are doing now: ‘Yes, OK, but…’ There are no buts.”

Orban’s Obsession with George Soros

And in Hungary, Hungarian-American philanthropist George Soros has been pilloried by Prime Minister Viktor Orban and his populist nationalist government. Soros was accused of wanting to pour migrants — mostly Muslim — into Hungary, becoming a convenient scapegoat to foment fear and further support for Orban. Anti-Soros activism and portrayals often use anti-Semitic tropes to demonize him such as portraying him as a grand manipulator behind the scenes and a cynical, heartless opportunist who wants to destroy pure, Christian nations.

Never mind that Soros was born in Budapest, survived the Holocaust and has spent hundreds of millions of dollars to fund school meals, establish a university and contributed to numerous human rights proposals in the country.

The EU Fundamental Rights Agency survey distributed to 16,000 Jews in 12 European countries at the end of 2018 found that 90 percent of respondents felt anti-Semitism was on the rise in their respective countries. Further, 30 percent reported direct harassment.

Outrage Over Belgian Parade Float

In Belgium, the ages-old Jewish stereotype was recently resurrected when a carnival float depicted Orthodox Jews sitting on bags of money.

“It is unthinkable that these images are paraded in European streets,” fumed EU Commission spokesperson Margaritis Schinas. Nevertheless, the float was paraded.

It wasn’t supposed to be like this. Anti-Semitism was supposed to be, if not eliminated, at least pushed far from its traditional roots in civilized society. What happened?

Why is Anti-Semitism Returning in Europe?

Many factors combined to spur the resurgence of hatred toward Jews. First, anti-Semitism never really went away. It was held in check once the barbarity of six million Jews being fed into the ovens of German concentration camps in the Second World War became public.

But time has eroded some of the horror and survivors of the camps have died.

As well, the world has cracked and in political terms that means the politics of consensus, of a left and right without strife, is broken. The extremists hitherto relegated to the fringe have managed to slither through into the mainstream.

Violence Against Jews On the Rise

In early 2019, figures revealed the emergence of violent attacks on Jews, with a 74 percent increase in France and, particularly disturbing because of its Nazi past, Germany noted a 60 percent rise.

In Malmo, Swedes rallied in protest of U.S. President Donald Trump’s move to make Jerusalem the capital of Israel and those in attendance threatened to “shoot the Jews.”

In Stockholm a speaker called Jews “apes and pigs.”

And then there is revisionist history, with some European countries downplaying their involvement with Nazi Germany.

Across the pond in the U.S., Trump has expressed his adoration for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, but has at the same time sought white nationalist support, saying the movement includes “some very fine people.” Furthermore, during his 2016 campaign which would ultimately land him in the White House, Trump put up a Twitter post that included an image of opponent Hillary Clinton and featured the Jewish Star of David and a large pile of money. That one tweet summed up the history of the persecution of Jews.

The Myth of Secret Jewish Ties to Money

For centuries, Jews have been negatively associated with money. “Jews, Money, Myth” was presented at the Jewish Museum London (England) about a year ago today. Through exhibits, it makes clear the myth of Jews and money that has persisted for 2,000 years.

In the Middle Ages, Christians were not allowed to lend money and charge interest. Jews were barred from owning land and so they lent money to Christians and inevitably, the myth of the rich Jew was reinforced. Too often, rather than pay what was owed, Christians instead used pogroms to eliminate the debt.

Earlier still, there was Judas, a Jew, accepting 30 pieces of silver to betray Christ according to the Christian Bible. So the story became how the Jews killed Christ, never mind that the other disciples and Christ himself were Jewish.

Even in literature, Shakespeare’s Shylock wanted his pound of flesh and Dickens’ Fagin was an evil Jewish pickpocket.

Appallingly portrayed as controlling, sinister and cruelly wealthy, the Jew remains a target today. The world must always be on guard lest anti-Semitism gain a terrifying foothold once again as it has done in the past.

L'articolo Anti-Semitism Slithers Out From The Shadows in Europe proviene da InsideOver.

The Bundestag commemorates the Holocaust 75 years after Auschwitz. In his speech, Israeli President Reuven Rivlin describes Germany as a “beacon” for the protection of liberal values while urging Europe to fight against nationalism, xenophobia, and anti-Semitism.

It has been many years since an Israeli state guest spoke in the German parliament on this date. In his speech to the Bundestag, Israeli President Reuven Rivlin called on the European Union to defend its core values. Nationalism, xenophobia, and anti-Semitism were hovering across Europe. Europe today was haunted by the ghosts of the past, Rivlin said in Parliament’s commemoration for the victims of the Holocaust in Berlin on Wednesday.

Rivlin said the continent was not in the 1930s and was, therefore, not on the precipice of a new Shoah. Nevertheless, the warning signs should not be overlooked. Germany, in particular, had a special responsibility. During his speech, Rivlin recalled that he once demonstrated that Germany was re-establishing diplomatic relations with Israel. He himself protested against payments to make amends to Israel, as he believed Germany attempted to buy away its guilt. Now, however, it was evident to him that Israel and Germany were “true partners.”

The same nation that had become the horror of the world through National Socialism had now become a “beacon” for the protection of liberal values while Chancellor Merkel had become the “leader of the free world.”

If Jews were not living in Germany freely today, they could not live anywhere else in the world, the President said, while reaffirming that the responsibility that rests on Germany’s shoulders was “enormous.”

However, Rivlin’s admonition was not only directed towards politicians that favor nationalist agendas. He stated that his views differed from the German government’s one on a particular issue, while nonetheless admitting that differences in opinion amongst friends were common; however, he criticized the German government for looking in the wrong direction regarding Iran and the attempts to maintain a nuclear deal that, according to Rivlin, Iran had rejected ab initio.

Most importantly, in the context of remembering that Jews once were supposed to be annihilated in Nazi Germany, Rivlin recalled that this plan is also currently part of Iran’s state doctrine. For the Jews, Rivlin proceeded, the threat emanating from Iran was not a theoretical question, but an existential one. Teheran was a risk to world peace, and Iran must be isolated from the international community, Rivlin said in front of Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, who continues to claim how crucial the Iran deal was. Rivlin, on the other hand, is rightfully puzzled about the fact that Germany, with its past, is not taking a tough stance against a state that has vowed to destroy the state of Israel.

In his speech, Rivlin had praise for President Trump’s Middle East peace plan that was unveiled yesterday. The plan had the potential to reopen the conversation channel with the Palestinians, Rivlin said.

Meanwhile, Germany’s President Frank-Walter Steinmeier also commemorated in his speech today at the Bundestag and warned against the return of authoritarian thinking in Germany and called for a decisive fight against anti-Semitism and racism. “Let us rise against the old spirit in the new times,” Steinmeier said. “We thought the nonsense of the past had faded over time. But no: the evil spirits of the past are now in a new guise.”

Every year the Bundestag commemorates the victims of National Socialism. In the Auschwitz concentration and extermination camp in Poland, occupied by the Wehrmacht, the SS murdered at least 1.1 million people, mostly Jews. The few survivors were liberated by soldiers of the Red Army 75 years ago, on January 27, 1945. Around six million Jews fell victim to the Holocaust across Europe.

L'articolo Israel’s President Rivlin speaks to German Bundestag proviene da InsideOver.