European Jewish body to governments: stamp out blatant anti-Semitism

via EJP | News | Eastern Europe | European Jewish body to governments: stamp out blatant anti-Semitism.

On January 5, a burning car with a Molotov cocktail was rammed into the door of a synagogue in Toulouse, rance, while the rabbi was giving a class inside. Another car was prepared for a second attack, but was abandoned after an alarm scared off the attackers. The European Jewish Congress (EJC) called Tuesday on European governments to differentiate between legitimate protest and outright anti-Semitism during rallies and demonstrations against Israel’s operation in Gaza. In a statement, the Paris-based umbrella body for Jewish communities in Europe expressed “shock and outrage” at the increase in anti-Semitic acts across Europe and at the spiraling anti-Semitism on the streets of Europe. The EJC urged the European Parliament to pass a resolution condemning the recent wave of anti-Semitic incidents. “The Jewish community is witnessing a hatred and vitriol not witnessed on such a scale in Europe since the Holocaust,” the EJC said. “European governments and police have ample evidence that some anti-Israel demonstrations have descended into openly anti-Semitic tirades, which on many occasions, calls for the killing of European Jews.” Some banners reading “Death to the Jews” and “Be Prepared for the Real Holocaust” were openly shown on the streets of Europe,” the EJC said. Synagogues in Paris, Brussels, London, Toulouse and Helsingborg were recently attacked and there has been a rise in attacks on Jews in the streets of Europe. The Community Security Trust, a Jewish defense group based in the UK, said it had seen a rise in anti-Semitic incidents since the start of Israel’s offensive in Gaza. The group said it had recorded 20-25 incidents across Britain in the past week that it believed were connected with Gaza, including an arson attempt on a synagogue in north London on Sunday. In France, 30 anti-Semitic incidents have been reported since Israel started its military operations in Gaza on December 29. The EJC cited the example of a demonstration in Amsterdam where thousands chanted “Jews go to gas” even while Dutch members of parliament marched alongside.