Schindler's List producer rips Hollywood letter supporting Iran sellout
As you might expect, all the liberals in Hollywood are in the bag for Obama and his Iran sellout. And of course the 98 who signed a letter in support of Hussein Obama's Iran sellout insisted on portraying themselves as Jews as if Israel necessarily matters to them.
But there's one courageous voice in Hollywood. It's Gerald Molen, the producer of Schindler's List.
A producer of the film “Schnidler’s List,” Gerald Molen, criticized an open letter signed by nearly 100 prominent Los Angeles Jews supporting the recent accord on Iran’s nuclear program.
Molen, who won an Academy Award for the 1993 film about the Holocaust, wrote an email opposing the agreement to LAJewishLeadersForIranDeal@gmail.com, the email account set up by the letter’s signatories, The Hollywood Reporter reported Friday. Molen wrote that Iran is not a trustworthy negotiating partner, and that the agreement will allow it to obtain nuclear weapons down the line.
Molen also expressed concern that Iran will use money received in the deal to finance terrorism against Israel.
“Can we trust Iran? Do they not deny the Holocaust? Do they not invest in terror organizations?” Molen wrote, according to The Hollywood Reporter. “This will more than likely push the inevitable nuclear crises out of many of the signers’ lifetimes and onto the backs of their grandchildren or great grandchildren.”
Molen, a critic of President Obama, also produced “2016: Obama’s America,” an anti-Obama documentary written and directed by conservative activist Dinesh D’Souza.
Interesting that one of the 98 signers of the letter was Frank Gehry. At least until he resigned. One would have thought that experience would have raised his sensitivities to anti-Semitism.
Washington Post publishes cartoon of Netanyahu punching infant
This reminds me of the infamous cartoon of Ariel Sharon eating babies.
The Washington Post has published a cartoon of Prime Minister Netanyahu punching an infant in the face. The cartoon is supposedly meant to show that both sides are equally to blame for the current fighting - a lie on its face.
The caricature is aimed at apportioning blame equally between Israel and
Hamas for the suffering of Gazan civilians. It was created by Ann
Telnaes, one of the newspaper’s editorial cartoonists.
The Simon Wiesenthal Center declared its outrage over the cartoon. In a
statement released to news agencies on Friday, the center’s associate
dean, Rabbi Abraham Cooper, said the clip was “disgusting.”
"It is disgusting that The Washington Post would present an
animated cartoon that is so profoundly removed from the truth," said
Cooper. "Millions of Israeli citizens—men, women, and children—have been
forced into bomb shelters and saferooms by thousands of missiles and
rockets targeted at them by Hamas terrorists, whose open and avowed goal
is the destruction of the Jewish state."
“Even Israel's enemies have recognized that Israel's military
countermeasures against Hamas have included phone and text warnings as
well as leaflets urging innocent civilians in Gaza to vacate the
targeted areas," Cooper said. "It is the Hamas leadership that openly
uses the people of Gaza to act as human shields to protect their weapons
of mass destruction."
"Israelis are saddened by the deaths of four Palestinian children on a
Gaza beach yesterday, but the blood of these innocent children is on the
hands of Hamas leaders, not Binyamin Netanyahu," Rabbi Cooper also
said.
US says it 'doesn't know' who's behind anti-Semitic flyers in Ukraine
The Untied States government has now told the Los Angeles-based Simon Wiesenthal Center that it 'doesn't know' who is behind anti-Semitic flyers calling on Jews to 'register' their persons and property or face deportation. This is from the first link.
In response to an email query, Ambassador Geoffrey Pyatt told the
Wiesenthal Center that the fliers were “clearly part of a general effort
to sow fear among Ukrainian Jews.” Beyond that, the U.S. doesn’t know
much.
“The Wiesenthal Center denounces this grotesque action that is
clearly designed to spread more fear among the Jewish community, already
reeling from the increased instability that has racked the region for
the past few months, “said Rabbis Marvin Hier and Abraham Cooper in a
statement released in Los Angeles. “We urge authorities to take all
necessary measures to ensure the safety of Jewish communal
institutions.”
The Anti-Defamation League noted that the leader of the Donetsk
People’s Republic, whose name appeared in the document’s signature, has
publicly disavowed the flier.
“We are skeptical about the flier’s authenticity, but the
instructions clearly recall the Nazi era and have the effect of
intimidating the local Jewish community,” said ADL national director
Abraham H. Foxman. “We have seen a series of cynical and politically
manipulative uses and accusations of anti-Semitism in Ukraine over the
past year. The perpetrators and their targets are opposing politicians
and political movements, but the true victims are the Jewish
communities. We strongly condemn the anti-Semitic content, but also all
attempts to use anti-Semitism for political purposes.”
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) said it’s critical that the international
monitors from the Organization for the Security and Co-operation in
Europe deploying to Ukraine as part of yesterday’s Geneva agreement
“examine this issue closely to ensure that religious and ethnic
minorities do not become targets.”
“This sort of intimidation and persecution is unacceptable and cannot be tolerated in the 21st century,” he said.
This is from Thursday's US State Department briefing on the issue. Let's go to the videotape.
Last week, I reported that UNESCO announced that it was 'postponing' an exhibit that shows the Jewish people's 3,500 year connection to the Land of Israel out of deference to the 'peace process.' The postponement caused consternation in Israel and at Los Angeles' Simon Wiesenthal Center, which is co-sponsoring the exhibit. Now, the United States and Canada are urging UNESCO to reconsider.
The United States and Canada called on UNESCO to rescind its sudden
decision to suspend an exhibit on Jewish ties to the Land of Israel – due to open at its Paris headquarters on Monday – in response to a protest by Arab states who fear it could damage the peace process.
“UNESCO’s decision is wrong and should be reversed,” said US Ambassador
to the UN Samantha Power on Friday. “The United States has engaged at
senior levels to urge UNESCO to allow this exhibit to proceed as soon
as possible.”
...
”UNESCO is supposed to be fostering discussion and interaction between
civil society and member states, and organizations such as the
Wiesenthal Center have a right to be heard and to contribute to UNESCO’s
mission,” said Power.
In spite of her harsh rebuke, the US had opted not to sponsor the
exhibit, which bore the sponsorship seal of only three countries,
Canada, Israel and Montenegro.
Canada’s Department of Foreign Affairs said on Friday there “is no
appropriate rationale to delay the exhibition and [we are] deeply
disappointed by the decision made to postpone it. Our ambassador to
UNESCO has written to the secretary-general of that organization urging
her to take all necessary action for this exhibition to go ahead as
long planned,” it said. Should UNESCO fail to open the exhibit as
agreed upon, the Wiesenthal Center plans to hold a press conferences in
Paris and Los Angeles on Monday to show its panels to the public.
Wiesenthal dean and founder Rabbi Marvin Hier said all the exhibit panels had been vetted and approved by UNESCO.
...
World Jewish Congress President Ronald Lauder said: “It is sad that
Arabs deny the 3,500- year connection of the Jewish people to the Land
of Israel, especially when that connection is part of their own
tradition.
With this decision, UNESCO has done a disservice to the peace process and implicitly endorsed Arab rejectionism.
This exhibit will only happen if the US says it's going to cut UNESCO's funding again. With the Obama administration in power, I would not expect that to happen.
UNESCO accepts Arab League request to 'postpone' exhibit on Jewish people's connection to the Land of Israel
UNESCO has accepted an Arab League request to 'postpone' (indefinitely) an exhibit on the Jewish people's 3,500-year connection to the land of Israel. The exhibit was to take place in UNESCO's Paris headquarters, and was to be co-sponsored by the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles. The exhibit was designed by Hebrew University Professor Robert Wistrich, the author of a seminal book on anti-Semitism. The 'reason' for the 'postponement' is that it could 'harm the peace process.'
The center sent out invitations earlier this month using the phrase
“Land of Israel.” By Monday, both sides had agreed to the term Holy
Land, and UNESCO sent out its invitations.
A day later, UNESCO
received a letter from the 22 countries in its Arab Group. They were
concerned that while the exhibit’s title was innocuous, the subject
itself was political, and warned that hosting such an exhibit in the
midst of efforts by US Secretary of State John Kerry to reach a
final-status agreement for a two-state solution undermined his work, as
well as UNESCO’s objectivity.
The same day, UNESCO decided to
postpone the exhibit even though it had met earlier with the Wiesenthal
staff in Paris to go over the final details. The exhibit was already
being set up in its halls, and it already had received a congratulatory
opening letter from President Shimon Peres.
In a letter, Hier
immediately called on Bokova to reconsider and not cave in to the
“bullying” of the Arab Group, particularly given that UNESCO experts
had already vetted and approved the exhibit. He recalled how he had
obtained her verbal approval in October 2011, on the same day that
UNESCO member states voted to recognize “Palestine” as a state and
accord it full membership rights.
That approval, he wrote, was
followed by a public signing ceremony in 2012 at the Museum of Tolerance
in Los Angeles. Hier provided The Jerusalem Post with a photograph
from that event, which showed Bokova standing by a panel for the
exhibit.
“Let’s be clear,” Hier wrote in his letter to Bokova,
“the Arab Group’s protest is not over any particular content in the
exhibition, but rather the very idea of it – that the Jewish people did
not come to the Holy Land only after the Nazi Holocaust, but trace
their historical and cultural roots in that land for three-anda- half
millennia. If anything will derail hopes for peace and reconciliation
among the people of the Middle East, it will be by surrendering to the
forces of extremism and torpedoing the opening of this exhibition –
jointly vetted and co-organized by UNESCO and the Simon Wiesenthal
Center.”
Bokova, in turn, said UNESCO successfully works with many
Jewish groups, and just this November held an event with B’nai B’rith
about the Yiddish language. But, she said, consensus was important to
the organization.
“Having in mind the delicate phase that the
peace negotiations are entering, I have no choice but to take seriously
the concerns raised in the letter of the chairperson of the Arab
Group,” she wrote.
Israel, which is sponsoring the exhibit along with Canada and Montenegro, expressed dissatisfaction.
“We
regret that such an important exhibition has been undermined by
inappropriate considerations,” said Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal
Palmor, “and we hope a solution can be found to enable UNESCO to hold
the exhibit as originally planned.”
Canada had no response as of press time.
If
the exhibit does not open on January 20, the Wiesenthal Center plans
to hold press conferences in Paris and Los Angeles to show it to the
media.
Roger Waters: 'Some of my best friends are Jewish'
In an open letter on his Facebook page, Roger Waters has responded to charges of anti-Semitism from the Simon Wiesenthal Center's Abraham Cooper, after Waters used a giant balloon of a pig with a swastika and a Star of David painted on it in a concert in Belgium two weeks ago. Waters' response: 'Some of my best friends are Jewish.'
“Often I can ignore these attacks, but Rabbi Cooper’s accusations are so
wild and bigoted they demand a response,” Waters begins his riposte,
then, addressing Cooper directly, writes: “I hold your outburst to be
inflammatory and un-helpful and would suggest it can only impede
progress towards peace and understanding between people. It is also
extremely insulting to me personally in that you accuse me of being
‘Anti Semitic’, ‘A Jew Hater’ and ‘Nazi Sympathizer.’”
...
In the letter, Waters responds to the allegations by claiming that
the Star of David was one of many symbols used in his show, including
“the Crucifix, the Crescent and Star, the Hammer and Sickle, the Shell
Oil Logo and The McDonald’s Sign, a Dollar Sign and a Mercedes sign.”
Waters points out that the pig has appeared at 193 performances
since September 2010, and last week’s was the first complaint. He
said “the pig in question represents evil, and more specifically the
evil of errant government. We make a gift of this symbol of
repression to the audience at the end of every show and the people
always do the right thing. They destroy it.”
In his letter, Waters contends that he has “many very close Jewish
friends,” including ”Simon Wiesenthal’s nephew,” and his two grandsons
whose “mother, my daughter in law, is Jewish and so, in consequence,
I’m told, are they.”
Perhaps emboldened by his extensive Jewish connections, Waters then
launches into an anti-Israel tirade. “In a functioning theocracy it is
almost inevitable that the symbol of the religion becomes confused
with the symbol of the state, in this case the State of Israel, a
state that operates Apartheid both within its own borders and also in
the territories it has occupied and colonized since 1967,” Waters
charges.
What a nice guy. I'm sure that if the 'Palestinians' get their 'state' he'll find many more Jews he can love.
Unfortunately, they waited until the 7th day of Passover to do it, so Elder of Ziyon, who broke the story, will likely not even have seen the story yet when the holiday ends in the US after sundown on Tuesday, but Hanan Ashrawi's Miftah, which receives massive western funding, has finally apologized for the blood libel against Jews that was published on the group's website (Hat Tip: Memeorandum).
This is from the third link.
Miftah at first defended its right to post the article in a statement titled, “MIFTAH denounces smear campaign against it.”
“The obscure pro-Israeli website ‘The Elder of Ziyon’ has wrongly
accused MIFTAH and Dr. Ashrawi of promoting Jewish blood libel during
Passover through its publication of an Arabic-language article that
briefly addressed the subject,” the defense stated.
The article was about promoting dialogue, Miftah maintained.
“The disclaimer at the opening of the ‘News and Analysis’ section
clearly states that, ‘The views represented in [News and Analysis] are
solely those of their authors and do not necessarily reflect the views
of MIFTAH but rather fulfill its mandate for open dialogue,’ ” the
statement continued.
...
Miftah on Monday recalibrated its position, issuing a full apology and blaming a low-level staffer for the situation.
“It has become clear to us after investigating this incident that the
article was accidentally and incorrectly published by a junior staff
member,” the apology stated. “The said staffer has been reprimanded and
all our staff has been informed as to the disgusting and repulsive
phenomena of blood libel or accusation, including its use against Jews.”
“Dr. Hanan Ashrawi, as founder, has nothing to do with the day to day
management at MIFTAH and was no way involved in this incident,” the
apology maintained.
I don't buy the 'low-level staffer' nonsense. Name me one 'Palestinian' organization that is not tightly controlled by the people behind it. I can't believe that Hanan Ashrawi didn't know about this article until it was published.
Second, if it was truly 'accidentally and incorrectly published,' why did the apology take so long and require so much condemnation of the article before it was issued?
Third, note the one thing they don't admit: That the article itself was a blood libel.
And by the way, when was the last time you saw a blood libel about anyone other than Jews?
On Friday, Benny Weinthal reported that the American Jewish Committee, the Anti-Defamation League and Harvard Professor Alan Dershowitz had all attacked the Emergency Committee for Israel for its full page New York Times ad asking why Jewish Federations are funding the anti-Semites at the Center for American Progress and Media Matters for America.
The AJC, which was quoted in the ad talking about perceived bias against Israel in several specific CAP media products, issued a statement saying, “No one from the sponsoring group [ECI], an ideologically-driven organization to judge from its ads and other public activities, sought AJC’s consent to include reference to us in today’s ad.”
CAP officials have “acknowledged the inappropriateness of such bias” and they have implemented personnel and policy changes, the AJC noted.
Abraham H. Foxman, national director of the Anti-Defamation League, told JTA that the ADL quote slamming CAP in the ad for anti- Semitism was issued before CAP dealt with prejudices against Israel in its publications.
“After we raised concerns, initially we felt that the Center for American Progress took the matter seriously and understood the anti-Semitic nature of raising dual-loyalty canards and made sure terms like ‘Israel-firster’ were deleted from the Twitter accounts of CAP staffers where they appeared,” Foxman wrote in an email to The Jerusalem Post.
Harvard law Prof. Alan Dershowitz told The Boston Globe that he did not authorize the use of his quote for the ECI ad. “MM is doubling down. MJ [Rosenberg] is seeking support from left. CAP is trying hard to undo damage. Very different responses from them requires different responses from their critics,” Dershowitz said in an email to the Post on Thursday.
Critics accuse MJ Rosenberg of using anti-Semitic language to denigrate supporters of Israel.
So CAP and Media Matters are going to be good boys from now on and they're not going to do anything anti-Semitic. Right? Well, here's Benny an hour later.
A Center for American Progress Mideast writer Matt Duss generated criticism on Wednesday for a tweet that praised an article slamming Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu for "religious incitement" because he gave President Obama the Book on Esther for the Purim Holiday.
Duss later clarified his tweet by issuing a statement saying, "The Iranian regime regularly states as a goal the destruction of the state of Israel, and therefore, Israel clearly has legitimate concerns about Iran and its nuclear ambitions. My tweet only meant to say that biblical analogies may be unhelpful to the current moment if they do not distinguish the Iranian regime from all Iranians. Of course, I did not mean to suggest criticism of the story of Esther."
Rabbi Abraham Cooper from the Simon Wiesenthal Center, who had a conference call with CAP officials on Thursday, told The Jerusalem Post that the tweet was discussed. "I explained during the call that what spurred my comment was the fact that last Purim there were demonstrations in front of Esther and Morechai's Mausoleum in Shushan who depicted the book of Esther as the story of a Jewish genocide against Persians. This was followed by online discussions in Farsi pushing this perversion of history."
"The Bottom line is that the young generation of bloggers and tweeters, must be accountable for their words...and in this case the parroting of someone else's words depicting the gift of Megillat Esther as 'religious incitement' is a slur against a religion and the leader of Israel. I am happy to hear that this was not Mr. Duss's intention but it was also clear that in referencing Robert Wright's disgusting article, he knew virtually nothing about Purim."
The ECI ad was published on March 1. When - exactly - did CAP (and for that matter Media Matters) stop being anti-Semitic between March 1 and March 9?
What's more likely is that Rabbi Cooper and the Wiesenthal Center are the only watchdogs against anti-Semitism who aren't in bed with the Democratic party and don't place the interests of the Democratic party and Barack Obama above fighting anti-Semitism.
I know - it's not politically correct to say that, but it's the truth.
Wiesenthal Center wrote: "How was it possible that your patronage could be abused despite the Ramallah office's responsibility to vet all projects endorsed by UNESCO?"
UNESCO responded, "thank you for drawing our attention to the information reported by Palestinian Media Watch... Allow me to underscore that UNESCO takes this matter extremely seriously and it cannot but strongly deplore and condemn the statements you are referring to... We will bring this matter to the attention of the concerned Palestinian authorities..."
The Wiesenthal Center called UNESCO's response "inadequate."
My guess is that UNESCO will find an excuse not to stop funding the magazine (possibly based on a promise of better behavior) and that the real value to the Wiesenthal Center's call will be to embarrass UNESCO. I would also guess that if UNESCO stops funding the magazine, one or more Arab or Muslim countries will step in and fund it.
But if anyone is paying attention, we have now proved once again that the 'Palestinian Authority' is no partner for peace.
Let's go to the videotape.
I guess no one is paying attention. What a shock....
A letter from the office of UNESCO's Director-General read:
"UNESCO’s attention has been drawn to the February 2011 issue of the Palestinian children’s magazine Zayzafouna. This magazine is published by an NGO of the same name under the patronage of the Palestinian National Commission for UNESCO, which is the national body set up by the Palestinian Authority to facilitate its work with the Organization. The February issue features a story written by a 10-year-old girl in which Hitler is quoted by her as stating that he “killed [the Jews] so you would all know that they are a nation who wreak havoc on Earth”. While UNESCO upholds freedom of expression as an integral part of its mandate, the inclusion in this publication of a statement that may be interpreted as an apology of the holocaust is contrary to UNESCO’s constitutional mandate and values. It is totally unacceptable.
UNESCO supported the publication of three issues of the Zayzafouna Magazine six months after the February 2011 issue. The support was provided for these issues following agreement with the editorial board that they would focus on building greater appreciation amongst Palestinians for their heritage and culture. They were to open the way for positive dialogue aimed at overcoming the consequences of the Middle East conflict, and to fight against stereotypes that may be conducive to violence. It was UNESCO’s intention to foster a positive view of Palestinian heritage based on the values of tolerance and UNESCO’s mandate of building peace in the minds of men and women. This vision guides all of UNESCO’s activities, and we urge all partners to work in this direction.
UNESCO is shocked and dismayed by the content of the February issue, and has requested more detailed information and clarification from the editors of the magazine and to Palestinian Authority.
UNESCO strongly deplores and condemns the reproduction of such inflammatory statements in a magazine associated with UNESCO’s name and mission and will not provide any further support to the publication in question.
The Organization, which is deeply committed to the development and promotion of education about the Holocaust, disassociates itself from any statement that is counter to its founding principles and goals of building tolerance in the full respect for human rights and human dignity."
Of course, the 'Palestinian Authority' - as UNESCO's letter notes - is publishing this magazine and they obviously have no problem with it. Some 'peace partner.'
Anyone want to take bets on which Arab or Muslim country will come forward to fund this?
Simon Wiesenthal Center calls on Clinton to fire Gutman
The Simon Wiesenthal Center has issued the following press release calling on Secretary of State Clinton to fire US Ambassador to Belgium Howard Gutman.
The Simon Wiesenthal Center urged Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to " immediately and unequivocally disassociate herself from comments made by US Amb Howard Gutman who told a Jewish group that "a distinction should be made between traditional anti-semitism which should be condemned and Muslim hatred of Jews which stems from the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinians".
"The Simon Wieaenthal Center calls on Secy of State Clinton to immediately rebuke Gutman for excusing Muslim hatred of Jews"' said Rabbis Marvin Hier, Dean and Founder and Abraham Cooper, associate Dean in a statement on behalf of its 400,000 constituent families of the leading Jewish Human Rights NGO.
"America has always taken the lead in condemning hate in all its manifestations, not providing a moral free pass to extremists whose hate of Jews besmirches the Muslim religion and has spawned violent hatred against Jews across the Middle East and beyond."
" Following Gutman's twisted logic, Christian anti-semites who insist that their hatred of Jews is based on the fact that the Jewish people failed to acknowledge Jesus as Messsiah should also be excused until such time as the underlying reason for that hate-- the Jewish people's refusal to accept Jesus as messiah is reversed."
"As Ambassador to Belgium, a country where Jews have been attacked by Muslim extremists, Ambassador Gutman's statement is beyond shocking; it will only serve to further embolden hate from Islamist extremists in Europe and beyond. It is critical for Secretary of State to immediately clarify if Gutman's statement reflects or violates US policy vis a v anti-semitism", the Wiesenthal Center officials concluded.
Indeed. The problem is that this statement is very much in line with the sentiments spewed out by Obama in Cairo two and a half years ago.
UPDATE 11:22 AM
Just got a link to this announcement (I first received it as an email). It's here.
Sunday, a coalition of anti-Israel Jews and other assorted Palestinian activists, led by Jewish Voice for Peace, LA Jews for Peace, CODE PINK, and Friends of Sabeel (A Presbyterian-affiliated Palestinian Christian organization), protested outside the The Simon Wiesenthal Center's Beit Hashoah – Museum of Tolerance in West Los Angeles. The Museum of Tolerance exists to raise awareness of prejudice and genocide, particularly the Holocaust, and of course, to promote tolerance. They are a popular destination for field trips, and provide race relations training to law enforcement and court-ordered classes to certain types of criminals.
Ehud Yaari updated on the current situation in Egypt
In an earlier post, I showed you an interview conducted with Ehud Yaari, one of Israel's biggest experts on Arab affairs, regarding what was then a developing situation in Egypt. Now, with Hosni Mubarak gone, and with elections likely looming ahead, we come back to Yaari to get his take on the situation.
Here's an interview conducted by the Simon Wiesenthal Center's Rabbi Abraham Cooper with Ehud Yaari, one of Israel's foreremost experts on Arab affairs, regarding the current situation in Egypt. The interview was conducted via Skype, so it's a bit grainy, but it's quite interesting.
Simon Wiesenthal Center names Helen Thomas 2010 Anti-Semite of the Year
The Simon Wiesenthal Center has released its list of the top 10 anti-Semitic slurs of 2010, and former White House Correspondent Helen Thomas is at the top of the list.
Former CNN newscaster Rick Sanchez finished a distant 7th. Others who made the list include film director Oliver Stone (at number 2), German Central Bank director Thilo Sarrazin (at number 5), the European Union's chief trade negotiator Karel de Gucht (at number 6), and the London Independent's Christina Patterson (at number 9). More details here.
Wiesenthal Center advises against traveling to Sweden
Not too surprisingly, the Simon Wiesenthal Center has issued a travel advisory against Jews traveling to Sweden.
“We reluctantly are issuing this advisory because religious Jews and other members of the Jewish community there have been subject to anti-Semitic taunts and harassment. There have been dozens of incidents reported to the authorities but have not resulted in arrests or convictions for hate crimes”, said the two Wiesenthal Center representatives in a statement.
Cooper and Samuels added that “a contributing factor to this decision has been the outrageous remarks of Malmö mayor Ilmar Reepalu, who blames the Jewish community for failing to denounce Israel.
The advisory aimed at Jewish travelers urges extreme caution when visiting southern Sweden.
It is not connected to this week’s terrorist bombing in the heart of Stockholm. Critics have accused Reepalu of failing to protect Malmö’s tiny Jewish population from anti-Semitic violence and stoking hatred of Israel.
Writing earlier this year in The Wall Street Journal Europe, Daniel Schwammenthal , an editorial writer for paper, noted that “faced with these attacks on the city’s Jewish population, Malmö’s mayor, Ilmar Reepalu, seems curiously unperturbed by, if not sympathetic to, the attackers.”
While screaming “Sieg Heil” and “Hitler, Hitler” in 2009, a violent mob of Swedish Muslims launched bottles and stones at a pro-Israel demonstration attended by a small number of Jews in the central square of Malmö. Media reports have documented widespread harassment of Jews and Jewish children have routinely been called “dirty Jews.”
Reepalu, a Social Democrat, blamed the city’s Jews for holding the pro-Israel demonstration, saying they refused to “distance” themselves from Israel’s Operation Cast Lead.
“The community chose to hold a pro-Israel demonstration” and that “may convey the wrong message,” said Reepalu.
He also termed Israel’s right to self-determination as a form of extremism by equating Zionism with anti-Semitism. “We accept neither Zionism nor anti-Semitism.
They are extremes that place themselves above other groups they think are less important,” said Reepalu.
I am an Orthodox Jew - some would even call me 'ultra-Orthodox.' Born in Boston, I was a corporate and securities attorney in New York City for seven years before making aliya to Israel in 1991 (I don't look it but I really am that old :-). I have been happily married to the same woman for thirty-five years, and we have eight children (bli ayin hara) ranging in age from 13 to 33 years and nine grandchildren. Four of our children are married! Before I started blogging I was a heavy contributor on a number of email lists and ran an email list called the Matzav from 2000-2004. You can contact me at: IsraelMatzav at gmail dot com
