Showing posts with label Antisemitism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Antisemitism. Show all posts

Kristallnacht

Nov 9, 2010 at 2:57 PM | Posted by Rabbi Joshua


Tonight, November 9-10, marks the 72nd anniversary of Kristallnacht - the Night of Broken Glass.

It is called the "Night of Broken Glass" because on this night, in 1938, thousands of rioters stormed Jewish homes, businesses, and synagogues causing enormous amounts of damage throughout Germany and Austria.

Just before midnight on November 9, the Gestapo chief Heinrich Müller sent a telegram to all police units informing them:

"In shortest order, actions against Jews and especially their synagogues will take place in all of Germany. These are not to be interfered with."

Instead of arresting the perpetrators of these events, police began rounding up and arresting the victims – Jews all over German occupied territories. Fire companies stood by synagogues in flames with explicit instructions to let the buildings burn. They were to intervene only if a fire threatened adjacent “Aryan” properties.

In two days and nights, more than 1,000 synagogues were burned or damaged, over 7,500 Jewish businesses were looted and ransacked, and at least 91 Jews were killed. Rioters also vandalized Jewish hospitals, homes, schools, and cemeteries. The attackers were often neighbors.

Some 30,000 Jewish males between 16 - 60 were arrested, and deported to concentration camps. Kristallnacht marked the beginning of the Holocaust.

72 years later we still remember, and will never forget!


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Quote of the Day

Jun 11, 2010 at 10:59 AM | Posted by Rabbi Joshua

Rabbi David Nesenoff, the rabbi who interviewed Helen Thomas, has received thousands of hate messages following the release of the video showing Thomas making anti-Israel and anti-Jewish comments. You can read some of the hate mail on his website, Rabbilive.com.

Our Quote of the Day is from an article posted today on Haaretz.com:

"According to Nesenoff, he no longer sees a difference between anti-Semitic and anti-Israel behavior, saying that Israel was "a legitimate state and if there's any criticism it must be specific. But people keep returning to the question: Why are the Jews living there? They took over that country.' It is a re-writing of history while ignoring the centuries-long Jewish presence in Israel. Those are statements against Jews, with anti-Israel sentiment being only a part of it."

-Rabbi David Nesenoff


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Disturbing Trends

Dec 22, 2009 at 10:03 PM | Posted by Rabbi Joshua


Last Friday, the famous sign above the gates of Auschwitz which reads "Arbeit Macht Frei" (Work Sets You Free) was stolen in the middle of the night. Although a temporary replica was immediately put up in its place, the act sent shock waves throughout the Jewish world ... at least among those who were listening.

The sign was recovered (Thank G-d) on Monday (albeit in three pieces), and five young men have been detained in the incident. Although the incident enraged many Holocaust survivors - most people don't even know it happened. Maybe it's just me, but it seems hardly a word was spoken about it.

Additionally, last Monday, December 14th, an Orthodox Christian priest in Moldova led nearly one hundred people in attacking a public menorah. The priest, Anatoliy Chirbik, led the group in a demonstration at Stephan the Great Square in Kishinev, where he spewed a number of antisemitic slurs. Demonstrators, led by the priest, used hammers and iron bars to dismantle the five foot tall menorah, and erected a huge cross in its place.

"We are an Orthodox country," Chirbik told the assembly. "Stephan the Great defended our country from all kinds of Zjids [a derogatory term for Jews], and now they come and put their menorah here. This is anarchy."

Ironically, both of these events happened during Hanukkah, a holiday which celebrates our deliverance from tyranny and oppression.

What makes these acts even more disturbing is that they follow on the heels of a troubling year for the Jewish people. 2009 witnessed the most dramatic upsurge in antisemitic incidents and anti-Israel sentiment since the Second World War.

In February, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) released the findings of a report which found that nearly half of all Europeans feel Jews "have too much power," and nearly 31% blamed the Jewish people for the current economic crisis.

Incidents in France, which has the largest Jewish population of any European country, reported over 600 new antisemitic incidents just within the last year.

In June I blogged about rising antisemitism in Hungary, which has the third largest Jewish population in Europe. A newsletter published by "The trade union of Hungarian police officers prepared for action," was quoted in Haaretz as contending for an armed war against the Jews:
"Given our current situation, anti-Semitism is not just our right, but it is the duty of every Hungarian homeland lover, and we must prepare for armed battle against the Jews."
I can personally attest to the fact that antisemitism is alive and well in Europe. When I first moved to Budapest, Hungary in 2001 I was cautioned to avoid wearing a Star of David, a yarmulke, or any other Jewish symbols. Many people refrain from openly identifying themselves as being Jewish out of fear. When I rented my first apartment, my Jewish landlords were very nervous about my putting up a mezuzah, fearing their property would be vandalized. And I quickly learned my lesson when a swastika was painted outside my apartment window. These sentiments are echoed from within the government and media. The local news channels in Hungary were government run, and often news anchors would openly proclaim that Jews and Gypsies were to blame for the country's problems.

And the problem is not just in Europe. This does not include the numerous acts which have occurred all over the world.

According to the Anti-Defamation League, Antisemitic acts here in America rose 27% in 2004. Recent data from 2009 show even greater trends, but more finalized results have not yet been released. One of the highest increases in Antisemitic acts, according to a source from the ADL, has been in California, a state that has previously been known to be a melting pot and quite tolerant of minorities. Alas ... even in America, we are not immune to rising antisemitism.

Has 2009 been good for the Jewish people? I'll let you decide. But as for me, I find the trends quite disturbing.

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Quote of the day

Jun 17, 2009 at 3:43 PM | Posted by Rabbi Joshua

His views consumed him, and in doing so, not only destroyed his life, but destroyed our family and ruined our lives as well … For a long time, I believed this was our family's cross to bear. Now, it is not only my families' lives that are in shambles, but those who were directly affected by his actions, especially the family of Mr. Johns, who bravely sacrificed his life to stop my father.

What he did was an act of cowardice … To physically force your beliefs onto others with violence is not brave, but bullying. Doing so only serves to prove how weak those beliefs are. It is simply desperation, reminiscent of a temper tantrum when a child cannot get his way.

-Erik von Brunn (son of the shooter at the U.S. Holocaust Museum)

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Another wagging tongue

Jun 3, 2009 at 12:22 PM | Posted by Rabbi Joshua

How much longer does the world need to listen to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad? Not surprisingly he continues his slurs against the Holocaust and against the West.

Haaretz reports that in a radio address delivered last week, Ahmadinejad once again referred to the Shoah as the "Big Deception" and the West's "weakness."

The West has taken the issue of the Holocaust to expose a hypocritical innocence and oppress other nations, but I have effectively attacked this weak point of the West.

Ahmadinejad is currently in the middle of a fierce campaign to be re-elected to a second four-year term as president of Iran.  His primary pro-reform rival, Mir Hossein Mousavi, has openly criticized Ahmadinejad's constant questioning of the Holocaust, stating that it has undermined Iran's international standing.

Iran cannot move forward with Ahmadinejad at its helm.  He has proven time and time again his unwillingness to work with the international community, and continues to reject any compromise with world powers over nuclear energy.

It's time for a change in the world, and let's start with saying goodbye to Ahmadinejad.  Hopefully the Iranian people will elect a new leader open to democracy, committed to working with the international community, and one who will be a peaceful neighbor in the constantly shaky Middle East.

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A war against the Jews

Jun 1, 2009 at 10:48 PM | Posted by Rabbi Joshua

Given our current situation, anti-Semitism is not just our right, but it is the duty of every Hungarian homeland lover, and we must prepare for armed battle against the Jews.

- A Newsletter published by "The trade union of Hungarian police officers prepared for action," quoted in Haaretz.

Anti-Semitism is alive and well, especially in Hungary, which is home to the third largest Jewish community in Europe, and has a long history of battling prejudice in its many forms. As one who lived in Hungary for a time (2001 and part of 2002), I can attest to the pervasiveness of anti-Semitism in Hungarian society.

When I first moved to Budapest from Southern California I was cautioned to avoid wearing a Star of David, a yarmulke, or any other Jewish symbols. Many people will refrain from openly identifying themselves as being Jewish out of fear. When I rented my first apartment, my Jewish landlords were very nervous about my putting up a mezuzah, fearing their property would be vandalized. And I quickly learned my lesson when a swastika was painted outside my apartment window.

A recent article in HaAretz documents just how acceptable it has become in Hungary to blame social woes on Jews and Gypsies:

A crumbling country, torn apart by Hungarian-Gypsy civil war, could easily be claimed by the rich Jews," the article [mentioned above] went on to say. "That is why we should expect a Hungarian-Gypsy civil war, fomented by Jews as they rub their hands together with pleasure.

Once again, hatred continues to rear its ugly head.

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