Report of Anti-Semitic Incidents - Nov-97

November 1997

General

In general, November was similar to October in anti-Semitic activity. Some ten anti-Semitic incidents were recorded in Europe, New Zealand and Singapore. Synagogues (in Singapore) and cemeteries (in London, Poland and New Zealand) were also a target for attacks by anti-Semitic elements, alongside the continuation of attacks on Jews and Jewish installations.

Threatening announcements on the planting of bombs, mostly false alarms, continued to be received in Jewish installations - mostly schools and synagogues in Sweden, Switzerland, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Brazil.

In the sphere of propaganda, beyond abusive inscriptions, drawings of Nazi symbols and the continued dissemination of anti-Semitic publications in the different media in Europe (Western and Eastern), mention should be made of large anti-Semitic demonstrations which took place in the main cities of Europe on the anniversary of 'Kristallnacht' of 1938. The demonstrators were neo-Nazis and other radical organizations.

In the sphere of struggle, alongside the continuation of anti-Semitic manifestations, persons and organizations worked towards limiting manifestations of racism and anti-Semitism by changing the law (Sweden) and enforcing it.

Violent Incidents

Britain - Stones were thrown at members of the Zionist Youth Movement during a meeting which took place at Mamlock House in Manchester. The attackers also smashed a window in the building with an iron bar.

The Golders Green Jewish cemetery in London was desecrated. Tablets in memory of Jews and vessels containing Jewish ashes were smashed. Anti-Semitic slogans were written at the site.

Unidentified persons broke into the prayer hall of the Edmonton Jewish Cemetery in London. About thirty prayer books were set on fire, windows were smashed and cups were stolen.

Unknown persons broke twice into a company which manufactures fish products for the orthodox community in Salford. On one of the occasions when they were discovered by the watchmen, the intruders shouted antisemitic slogans at them and fled while throwing bottles and bricks at the watchmen.

Two eggs were found in the mailbox on the entrance door to the Maccabi offices in Glasgow. Detonators/firecrackers were attached to the eggs. No damage was caused by the detonators/firecrackers.

Germany - Five memorials were desecrated at the Dachau concentration camp. The desecration took place before ceremonies commemorating 59 years since Kristallnacht. It is assessed that the desecration was committed in reaction to the ban on a neo-Nazi march in Munich on that same weekend.

Sweden - A Jewish owner of an antique shop in Stockholm was beaten by a group of unknown persons. Later on a threatening announcement was received in the man's shop warning him not to report the incident or else his shop would be burned on Kristallnacht.

Poland - The Jewish cemetery in Lezajsk was desecrated. English (not Polish) abusive slogans, crosses and the number 666 were drawn on the tent covering the grave of the Soloveichik rabbi. A bottle of blood

(symbolizing blood libel) was also found beside the grave. It will be recalled that the number 666 is the number representing Satan. Various satanic cults use this number, as well as skinheads and neo-Nazis, who identify the Jews with Satan. The grave itself was also seriously damaged.

Ukraine - A stone was thrown into the apartment of an Israeli woman teacher who teaches Hebrew in Dniepropetrovsk in Ukraine. No one was injured.

New Zealand - In the Jewish cemetery in Auckland, four Stars of David were smashed by unknown persons. The incident occurred after the publication of an article in the press on Nazis and skinheads in the city.

Singapore - Two stones were thrown at the Magen Avot synagogue in Singapore. The stones smashed glass tiles in the courtyard next to the synagogue where the kiddush is performed after the prayer services. The Magen Avot synagogue is the more active of the two synagogues in Singapore.

Threats

Sweden - The editor-in-chief of the 'Swedish Jewish Chronicle' received telephone threats which included anti-Semitic expressions.

France - An anonymous announcement of a bomb planted in the Eitz Chaim School in Zurich was received by the congregation. The announcement said: 'Jews ... we penetrated your territory at night and planted a bomb'. The school was evacuated and searched. Nothing was found.

Hungary - An announcement of a bomb planted in the Blam (Bethlehem) synagogue in Budapest was received at the school next to the synagogue. The school was evacuated and the area of the school and the synagogue was searched. Nothing was found.

Czech Republic - An anonymous announcement on the planting of a bomb in the Jewish school was received at the London English school which is located in the same building as the Jewish school in Prague, The pupils of the Jewish school were evacuated and the place was searched, but nothing was found.

Greece - Anonymous announcements on the planting of a bomb in an Israeli/Jewish-owned facility were received in Piraeus. The building was searched but nothing was found.

Peru - An anonymous person who identified himself as a member of a neo-Nazi organization, made a telephone threat of a bomb planted in the office of the Pro-Israel Trade Center. It was said: "I belong to a neo-Nazi organization. We planted a bomb in your offices which will explode in 15 minutes, and as a result all the Jews will be killed."

Brazil - A telephone threat on the planting of a bomb in the Eliezer Steinberg school in the Laranjeiras neighbourhood in Rio de Janeiro was received at the Rio police station. A search of the premises revealed nothing.

A bomb threat was received at the Rutherford School which is situated beside the Shaarei Shomayim synagogue in Belem. The announcement said: "Tell the principle to evacuate the pupils because at 7 p.m. a bomb will explode in the vicinity." After a few minutes they called again and repeated the announcement. Nothing was found after the premises were searched.

Anti-Semitic Propaganda

Britain - Swastikas were drawn on two shops an the main street in Golders Green in London.

An anti-Semitic letter was received at the Sternberg Centre for Judaism in London. The letter said that "the Jews manipulate the funds of the international market", and it ended with a particularly anti-Semitic sentence: "It's no wonder that at a certain stage ... we will kick out ... the Jews from most of the countries of the world."

Switzerland - Erwin Kessler, a Swiss radical right-wing activist who was sentenced in the summer of 1997 to two months imprisonment for breaking the Swiss law against racism. was found to be once more disseminating anti-Semitic propaganda through distribution of material to mail boxes. In his magazine, Kessler repeats his comparison of Jewish ritual slaughter to the actions of the Nazis in World War II. He also recently attacked the rabbi of the Jewish community in Basel in his magazine.

Sweden - In the newspaper 'Expression', published in Sweden, an article appeared on the subject of Ahmed Rahmi who is behind the 'Radio Islam' radio station. Among other things, Rahmi claims that he has no connection with the anti-Semitic Internet site, but this did not prevent him from declaring that he considered the Jews the Nazis of today. The newspaper claimed that there was proof that Rahmi was behind the site and in effect ran it.

At a Nazi rock concert which took place a few days after Kristallnacht, anti-Semitic slogans and cries of 'Zeig Heil' were heard, and there was a show of and the Nazi salute.

Ireland - During a television program there was an interview with the Irish author Francis Stewart who had been in Germany during the Nazi regime and broadcasted propaganda from there. Stewart was asked about his stay in Nazi Germany and whether he regretted it. He answered in florid language that he had no regrets and even added a negative definition of the Jews, describing them as a "worm which sucks the nectar of the flower...". His anti-Semitic statements aroused a public storm, which included letters sent to the editor.

Europe - The anniversary of Kristallnacht was marked by large anti-Semitic demonstrations in the main cities of Europe. It will be recalled that during Kristallnacht in 1938 synagogues were burned in Germany with the encouragement of the Nazi regime, In Stockholm, Sweden, 200 demonstrators carried signs denouncing 'Jewish power taking over the world'. This was the first such Nazi demonstration in Sweden since World War II. Abusive anti-Semitic slogans were heard during the demonstration. In Rotterdam, Holland, a rally took place of neo-Nazis and members of other radical organizations. During the demonstrations Nazi salutes were seen against the background of swastikas and anti-Semitic slogans were heard. Other events were recorded in Austria, France, Norway and Britain.

Hungary - An abusive anti-Semitic letter was received at the Jewish Agency offices in Budapest. In the letter shameful words were written about the Jews who were blamed for the murders during the Communist period and were accused of harming Hungarian nationalism. The letter said the Jews would be next and what happened during the previous regime would soon happen to them.

Romania - A new weekly, called 'Atac La Persona', began to appear this month. It is a tabloid which attacks personalities and institutions in Romania with no distinction between right and left. Anti-Semitic type articles and caricatures have recently begun to appear in the weekly. In an article distributed at the end of the month, entitled 'A List of Jews in Public Life in Romania', there was an introductory list on the Image of the Jew' and after it a comprehensive list of all heads of government, the media, society and culture in Romania. The newspaper ends the lead story by noting that the aim of the article was not to hurt anyone appearing on the list, but only to emphasize the Jewish 'phenomenon'.

Belarus - In a radio program called 'Position', of the radio station 'Stalidze' (The Capital), which is broadcast in Minsk, a retired general was interviewed who made anti-Semitic remarks. He blamed the Jews and the Zionists for the breakup of the former Soviet Union and the failure of the new unification of the nations in the region. According to the general, Georgians, Ukrainians and Belarussians lived together in the past, but unification was impossible today because of the Jews whom he called murderers and Fascists and even worse than Nazis. He claimed that the Nazis had engaged in physical annihilation, whereas the Jews were occupied with spiritual and economic annihilation. He also added that it was no wonder to him that anti-Semitism existed, as the Jews brought it upon themselves. This interview brought on a reaction in the 'Norodnaya Volya' newspaper in the form of an overt letter of a Jew from the community asking 'Do the Jews have to pack their belongings?'.

Australia - A poster with anti-Semitic slogans was pasted to the entrance gate of a synagogue in Adelaide before the Sabbath prayer service. Among other things, the poster included declarations such as 'another six million' and drawings of swastikas.

Struggle Against Manifestations of Anti-Semitism

Italy - A 20-year-old Italian who lives in the suburbs of Venice and belongs to one of the radical right-wing movements was arrested by the police. He admitted to making the anonymous anti-Semitic phonecalls to the offices of the Jewish community in Venice in June, 1997.

U.N. - Morris Abrams, the president of U.N. Watch, sent a letter of complaint to the High Commission for Human Rights in Geneva. His letter contained quotations from anti-Semitic statements made by the Malaysian prime minister as they had been published in the international media. Abrams added that the Malaysian prime minister's efforts to deny his anti-Semitic comments were no less racist, In his letter Abrams asked the Commission for Human Rights to make a public denunciation in order to cruelly sever the government-supported sickness' before it spread further. He also requested that the affair be brought to the attention of the Special Report on Racism so that it find expression in its report in the section dealing with anti-Semitism.

Sweden - Following the neo-Nazi demonstration, and especially due to the incitement broadcasts of 'Radio Islam' and its Internet site, many people expressed the need for stricter legislation against racial incitement in general and anti-Semitism in particular. Stephen Bruchfeld from the Swedish Committee for the War on Anti-Semitism, said in reaction that

(Swedish) authorities were too tolerant and said he had the impression that Sweden was at the head of the list an everything to do with racism and Nazism, and it was not only a question of 'Radio Islam'.

Five MP's from conservative parties put forth a motion to change the law against racial incitement so that any remark denying the Holocaust would be considered an offence. Until now only if a person implicitly stated that the Jews lied about the Holocaust would he be liable to receive punishment according to the law.

Jan Nisell, the president of the Stockholm Jewish community, sent a letter to Swedish Prime Minister Goran Persson demanding that he act within the law to completely stop the broadcasts of the 'Radio Islam' station. Nisell adds that it is impossible to speak about the importance of learning about the Holocaust and to put up with the stream of accusing propaganda. Persson reacted later in a reply to a journalist, that he was familiar with the subject but for the present he did not know how to stop the Radio Islam broadcasts and the dissemination of its propaganda over the Internet. Ahmed Rahmi uses this medium which is completely foreign to public discussion in Sweden. Rahmi's activity is unpleasant and foreign to the democratic values that people believe in Sweden, Persson added.

Anti-Semitism and Politics

Peru - In the 'En Persona' television program, the former mayor of Santa Rosa was interviewed. (Santa Rosa is a small town of 5,000 residents about half an hour from Lima.) The mayor who had been dismissed for corruption and mismanagement of the local economy, blamed the Jews for a Zionist scheme which led to his dismissal.

Costa Rica - In the most popular newspaper 'La Nacion', an article by a Costa Rican citizen was published denouncing the statements of one of the participants in a demonstration against the Ministry of Finance for its closing the 'Anglo' Bank. The single demonstrator used racist anti-Jewish curses and attacked the 'Defensora De Los Habitantes' (Public Prosecutor), accusing the government of being controlled by the Jews and operating for them. The author denounces the manifestation and warns the public and the government to act to prevent such phenomena of the trade unions, which in the absence of logical arguments use racist slogans.

Miscellaneous

Germany - A new Jewish museum was opened at the site of the Sachsenhausen death camp to symbolically coincide with the anniversary of Kristallnacht. This was five years after right-wing radicals set fire to two of the camp huts.

Denmark - A demonstration of some 5,000 people took place in Copenhagen denouncing hatred and discrimination. The demonstration was organized by various organizations struggling against racism and organizations supporting refugees. The youth department of the Jewish community also participated in the demonstration. The demonstration was organized in commemoration of Kristallnacht to raise the awareness of the move to the right among the Danish population, in everything connected with immigrants and foreigners.