Dari Jerusalem Post: Economic crisis prompts anti-Semitism in Europe Dramatic surge in violent attacks against Jews registered throughout Europe in recent months, as neo-Nazis once again blame Jews for global crisis Eldad Beck
BERLIN The global economic crisis, which is beginning to be clearly felt across Europe, has brought with it another concerning phenomenon a rise in anti-Semitism and anti-Semitic assaults throughout the continent. This week a pig's head was hung on a Magen David at the entrance gate to the Jewish cemetery in the city of Goethe in East Germany, with a banner saying "Six million lies" placed alongside it. In other countries synagogue windows were smashed, Jews were attacked on the streets and calls not to buy from Jews were made. Since the beginning of the year, 800 anti-Semitic incidents have been registered in Germany, a rise of dozens of percents compared to last year. The head of the Jewish community's council in the country said that not a week goes by without a Jewish cemetery being desecrated. 'Violence becoming a routine thing' In Hungary, one of the countries which were particularly affected by the financial crisis, the rise in anti-Semitism has been dramatic and the number of hate crimes against Jews grew by dozens of percents this year, according to Israel's Ambassador to Hungary Aliza Ben-Nun. When the 70th anniversary of Kristallnacht was marked last week, the windows of a synagogue in Debrecen, the second largest city in the country, were smashed. During the High Holidays, bands of uniformed members of Hungary's extreme right gathered around synagogues in Budapest and intimidated shul-goers by their presence. "Such violent incidents are becoming a routine thing," Ben-Nun said. "The members of the far right are becoming more and more confident. There are many more incidents of graveyard desecration, spraying anti-Semitic graffiti and verbal and physical assaults." The increase in violent attacks against Jews, as well as immigrants, can be seen throughout Central Europe. Three men were arrested in Prague in the beginning of the week on suspicion they threw rocks at a Jewish resident. In Basel, Switzerland, a sign was posted on the window of a kosher grocery store reading, "Swiss, protect yourselves, don't buy from Jews." Was Economic crisis the trigger? Can the growth in anti-Semitism be attributed to the economic crisis? "It's too early to give a scientific answer," said Prof. Yehuda Bauer, the scientific advisor of the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial Museum. "But I can say that once there is an economic crisis, the anti-Semitic images of the greedy, exploiting Jew surface. This is a regular pattern, according to which at a time of financial hardship, anti-Semitic stereotypes begin to put down roots." The Anti-Defamation League has recently published a report indicating that there has been "a dramatic upsurge in the number of anti-Semitic statements being posted to Internet discussion boards devoted to finance and the economy." According to Serge Cwajgenbaum, secretary-general of the European Jewish Congress, "There has indeed been a general rise in anti- Semitic attacks in all of Europe in recent months. It's still early to link it to the financial crisis, but the attacks are certainly more violent today than hey used to be." A small group of Christian young people were praying in San Francisco and were surrounded by homosexuals and subjected to CRIMINAL ASSAULT and ATTEMPTED RAPE! The Christians had to be rescued by police in riot gear. None of the homosexuals assailants were arrested. What happens in San Francisco does not stay in San Francisco! In the name of liberation and freedom, the sexual revolution began with the "Summer of Love" in 1968 in the City of Saint Francis. It swept the nation and redefined our culture. Forty years later San Francisco has metastasized into a city controlled by what residents call "the homosexual mafia." From the Berkley University rebellion to the AIDS epidemic, what takes place in the Bay Area has a way of making a national and international impact. Anyone in San Francisco who openly disagrees with the lifestyle of homosexuals can be bullied, intimidated and assaulted with impunity. Christians live in a climate of intimidation having their worship services crashed and their property vandalized. Because homosexuals do not get punished, this only emboldens them to act out even more. Now churches across the nation are being harassed by homosexuals who are angry because of the passage of marriage amendments in California, Arizona and Florida that protect traditional marriage. Prop 8 supporters in California have been assaulted and their homes, cars and churches have been vandalized. A letter was sent recently to a Mormon church in Los Angeles containing a white powder. "If homosexuals will not respect the results of the democratic process, what makes anyone think they will respect the rights of citizens with whom they disagree?" said Dr. Gary Cass, Chairman and CEO of the Christian Anti-Defamation Commission. "It is high time that the constitutional rights of free speech and the free exercise of religion be upheld by our elected officials and law enforcements officers who took vows to uphold the Constitution." [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
