GOVERNMENT SECRETARIAT
Jerusalem, Heshvan 4, 5754
October 19, 1993
To: Members of the Government
From: Government Secretary
Re: Manifestations of Antisemitism Around the World
Follow-up Report No. 5
a. Antisemitism is as old as the Jewish people. Assuming one form and then
another, it has always accompanied the Jewish people. Our generation has
been no exception. After the Holocaust the gravest antisemitic
calamity in history many hoped that the discovery of the magnitude of
this catastrophe would cause history to turn in a different direction,
but their hopes were dashed. Antisemitism is on the rise again, and has
been so since the passing of approximately one generation after the
Holocaust. It may be connected with the loss of the shame that had been
attached to blatant antisemitic articulation in the early post-Holocaust
years. The blurring of historical memory has also enabled various
"experts" to deny that the Holocaust had occurred at all. Holocaust
denial has insinuated itself into deeply entrenched antisemitic
currents, which have been explained in various ways: religious,
economic, and social. There are reports of the increasing spread of
antisemitic literature and of outrages against Jewish individuals and
institutions. Naturally, the Arab-Israel conflict figures in these
manifestations in various ways.
b. In late 1987, the Prime Minister at the time proposed the formation of a
forum, attended by representatives of the relevant government ministries
and the World Zionist Organization, to monitor antisemitism regularly.
This forum first convened in early 1988 and has worked regularly and
continually since then, presenting periodic reports to the Prime
Minister and the Minister of Foreign Affairs. The government has also
been presented with summary reports, usually on an annual basis, of
which the present document is the fifth. Moreover, a broader forum,
including representatives of Jewish and academic organizations that deal
with the topic, usually meets once a year. A monthly report is sent to
Jewish communities, Jewish organizations, and other interested parties.
c. Developments that have taken place around the world in the past few
years point to the need for follow-up and struggle against antisemitism.
Chief among them is the collapse of the Soviet empire, which released
dormant antisemitic forces that have played an important role in the
political life of the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. Another
such development is the aftermath of the reunification of Germany. The
forces thus unfettered merged with existing antisemitic manifestations
in various parts of the world, which sometimes combine with broader
manifestations of racism and xenophobia, e.g., in Western Europe.
d. The world political community treats the Government of Israel as an
unquestioned partner in dialogue on the subject of antisemitism. The
Government is never told "don't interfere; these are internal affairs."
This is true both in the Western world and in the former Soviet
countries and Eastern Europe. Ambassadors to Israel, whom we contact in
matters pertaining to the war on antisemitism, treat our inquiries with
full gravity. In one country, the authorities even invited the Israeli
ambassador to take part in meetings on the subject between themselves
and the local Jewish community.
e. To combat antisemitism, one must analyze its causes, study the magnitude
of its manifestations, and cooperate with various players, Jewish and
non-Jewish, all over the world, as well as with Israeli ones. The
objects of this struggle are violent and non-violent antisemitic
manifestations, Holocaust deniers, neo-Nazis, and others.
f. (1) Governments generally awaken to the subject of antisemitism after
some incident of public and media nature has occurred. In the past year, it
was the events in Germany that led the Israeli Government to issue the
following communique pursuant to its meeting on November 29, 1992:
"1) The Government vehemently condemns the manifestations of
neo-Nazism, racism, and antisemitism in Germany, and views them
with concern and severity.
"2) The Government has acted and will continue to act in this regard
in its contacts with the Government of Germany, demanding that
the matter be treated with the full severity of the law and that
everything necessary be done to thwart manifestations of racism
and antisemitism.
"3) The Government expresses its appreciation of public figures in
Germany who are active in the struggle against racism and
antisemitism.
"4) The Government will continue monitoring antisemitic
manifestations wherever they occur and will fight them to any
extent warranted by the needs and circumstances."
(2) Late in the year, the Israeli Supreme Court handed down its verdict
in the case of John Demjanjuk, culminating a trial that dealt with
the open wounds of the Holocaust.
(3) The Israeli public response in these two matters attests to the
importance and the complexity of the issue in Israeli society.
g. The material attached herewith includes information gathered by various
Israeli agencies. Although we endeavored to present a wide range of
information, the quantity of material in our possession was too massive
for an all-embracing treatment. The matters that are not dealt with in
full include incidents in Arab and Latin American countries. Although
efforts were made to achieve a maximum of precision, errors may
nevertheless have occurred. All, of course, were inadvertent. The
material may be evaluated in various ways, but the main facts must be
known.
h. It is sometimes alleged, chiefly in the media, that the preoccupation
with antisemitism is designed to distract attention from various
political problems and difficulties and to dredge up ancient stereotypes
such as "All the world's against us." Such allegations are blatantly
untrue. Our follow-up and struggle are waged for one motive only: the
topical necessity, flowing from reported manifestations of antisemitism
and the feeling, prevalent among Jewish communities and organizations,
that Israel should to be active in the matter.
i. Evaluations of antisemitic manifestations should be based on a
long-range approach, avoiding the tendency to rush to conclusions using
a "stopwatch" of a one-month or three-month period.
j. What ideology guides this effort to monitor and combat antisemitism? The
goal is to keep antisemitic manifestations in the category of shameful,
contemptible behavior, and to prevent antisemitic behavior from
acquiring any form of legitimization. The attitude that we tried to take
over the years in our monitoring work, our depiction of the
manifestations, and our participation in the public, legal, and
educational struggle against them is a balanced one: without crying
wolf and panicking, but without closing our eyes to reality. This is
Israel's duty, and Israel must discharge it by treating the issues on
their own merits, in the correct proportions. Paraphrasing the Sages
(Pirkei Avot II:21), it is not our duty to complete the work, yet we are
not free to desist from it.
Elyakim Rubinstein
ANTISEMITISM IN 1993 - A SNAPSHOT
Abstract
a. Antisemitic manifestations around the world increased perceptibly in the
late 1980s and the early 1990s. As one generation passed since the
Holocaust, and then a second generation, the post-Holocaust sense of
shame that had been attached to public displays of antisemitism
weakened, and inhibitions against such behavior have crumbled in various
localities.
b. Additional components of the problem are the results of the time: the
collapse of Communism and the antisemitic forces released by this event
in the former Soviet Union and in Eastern Europe; the Persian Gulf
crisis and the accusations leveled against Israel and Jewry in this
context; economic crises in various places (such as Western Europe),
which fostered the growth of racism, antisemitism, and xenophobia.
c. The trends with regard to antisemitic attacks, violent incidents,
propaganda, and Holocaust denial were mixed in 1992. The past year was
noted for a proliferation of antisemitic displays of various kinds,
including some connected with Islamic ultrafundamentalism. The trend in
1993 has been similar thus far. It is worth noting that the conspirators
in the recent attempted coup in Russia were joined by neo-Nazi forces
that played a conspicuous role in the events.
d. Various countries, Jewish and non-Jewish organizations, Jewish
communities, and the State of Israel have continued to monitor and
combat these manifestations, and there is good reason to continue this
follow-up and struggle by means of public condemnation, legislation,
enforcement, and education.
The following report is presented in two major sections:
A. Topical
B. Appendix Regional Itemization
- Western Europe
- Eastern Europe
- The CIS and the Baltic Countries (Former USSR)
- The United States and Other Localities