The same thing is happening all over Europe. The last thing Israel should do is to yield to the pressure.
Prof. Robert S. Wistrich says Delegitimizing Israel Won’t Work Ted Belman
The first months of 2011 have confirmed Italy’s status as one of Iran’s biggest European trade partners, all while the ayatollahs pursue the means to perpetuate a second Holocaust. Rome is doing business as usual with the greatest totalitarian threat to international peace and security since the defeats of Soviet communism and Nazi fascism, providing a lifeline to an Iranian regime that is cruel at home, sponsors terror abroad and preaches anti-Jewish revolt.
Meanwhile, a murky wave of anti-Israel zeal is also growing at an alarming rate in Italy. “The old anti-Jewish libels are now aimed at the State of Israel”, says Stefano Gatti, one of the top researchers at the Center for Documentation in Milan.
Israel Week
Palestinian groups threaten Italian ‘Israel Week’ / Menachem Gantz
Police refuse to secure Israeli exhibit at central Milan square due to online threats to ‘ignite’ city
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Pro-Palestinian activists are threatening to “ignite” Milan, the financial capital of Italy where an Israeli exhibit is going displayed in a central square. Meanwhile, the city of Turin hosted a “cultural festival” where the image of Shimon Peres was used as a shoe-throwing target. For one euro, Italian students had the chance to hit the face of Israel’s president, who was fitted with a Nazi-style Jewish nose.
An Israeli student at the University of Genoa has been harassed and threatened with death by Arab students. Muslim students shouted at him “Allahu Akbar” (God is great) and “Itbach el Yahud” (slaughter the Jews.) Another Israeli student at the University of Turin, Amit Peer, confessed that “the Jews here are hiding their own identity because they risk becoming a target.”
Meanwhile, demonization of the Jews is spreading in the liberal media. Leftist newspaper “Il Manifesto” published a caricature of a Jewish candidate for parliament, Fiamma Nirenstein, with Fascist insignia, a campaign button and a Star of David. The cartoon “Electoral Monsters” was dubbed “Fiamma Frankenstein.”
L’Unità, the official newspaper of the leftist Democratic Party, published an interview with anthropologist Nancy Scheper-Hughes, where she claimed that Israel is a world leader in organ trafficking. The accusation resembled that of the Middle Ages blood libel whereby Jews were accused of kidnapping Christian and Muslim children before Passover in order to murder them and use their blood for matza.
Lists of boycotted Israeli products
Ucoii, the largest Islamic organization in Italy, published an ad in many mainstream newspapers entitled “Nazi Bloodshed Yesterday, Israeli Bloodshed Today.” An Italian court ruled that the Nazification of Israel came under “freedom of expression” and was not a case of incitement to hatred.
In 2009, Italy sent the largest European delegation of artists to an Iranian cartoonist festival on the Holocaust. The cartoons presented the Holocaust as an invention of Jews with hooked noses typical of Nazi propaganda.
Pisa, Rome and Bologna are among the most prestigious Italian universities that annually host anti-Zionist conferences and pro-Intifada speakers. Israeli attaché Shai Cohen was prevented from speaking at Pisa University after a violent attack by students, who called out “butcher, fascist, assassin.” The Israeli ambassador, Ehud Gol, fled Florence University after a similar “protest.”
Meanwhile, the Riccione city council sponsored a meeting against “the militarism of Israel,” explaining that “Israeli governments don’t represent the Jewish people.” The Coop and Conad, two of the largest supermarket chains in Italy, for some weeks last year removed Israeli products from their shelves in the name of a boycott of Jewish settlements in Judea and Samaria. Lists of boycotted Israeli products have been launched also by local Christian communities and leftist groups, targeting L’Oreal, Ahava and other firms.
Flaica, a trade union with 8,000 members working in large-scale retail, promoted the boycott of “all Rome shops managed by Jews” and drew up lists of Jewish-owned shops to be avoided, because of “what is happening in Gaza.” In Rome, a new pro-Hamas Freedom Flotilla has just been presented in the official buildings of the Professional Order of the Journalists, a body financed by the Italian government. Some members of Turkish terror group IHH were also on hand.
Anti-Semitism becoming fashionable
The Foreign Press Association in Rome, a state-funded institution, suspended two journalists, both Jews: Yedioth Ahronoth correspondent Menachem Gantz and French journalist Ariel Dumont. Iranian journalist Masoumi Nejad, who has been arrested for a arms trading involving Italy and Iran, has never been expelled by the association.
Anti-Semitism is becoming fashionable also among the “chattering classes”, intellectuals and academicians. Actress Sabina Guzzanti attacked the “Jewish race” in a primetime television program. Literary guru Alberto Asor Rosa wrote in a book on the transformation of the Jews from “a persecuted race” to “a warrior persecutor race.” Renowned leftist philosopher Gianni Vattimo declared that he had “re-evaluated” “The Protocols of the Elders of Zion” and now felt they largely reflect the truth about the Jews.
The slandering of Israel is also growing among the most important Catholic journalists. Vittorio Messori, who conducted the first book-length interview with Pope John Paul II, recently wrote an editorial for the Italian daily “Il Corriere della sera” where he stated: “All governments of all Muslim nations are under the tsunami of the violent intrusion of Zionism that has come to put its capital in Jerusalem.”
The growing anti-Semitism is also evident by the security around the largest synagogue in Rome, one of the oldest in the world. The Jewish temple looks like a military outpost: Private guards everywhere, metal detectors and policemen at every corner. The Jewish school looks like a “sterilized area” protected by policemen, bodyguards and cameras. All school windows are plumbed with iron grates. I saw the same in the Jewish homes of Hebron and in the schools of Sderot.
Pro-Palestinian groups just recently marched into the ghetto, shouting “Fascist” and “Assassins” to the Jews, some of them Holocaust survivors. It was here, on 16 October 1943, that 1,200 Jews were deported to Auschwitz; none of the 200 Jewish children came back home. It was here, on 9 October 1982, that an Arab terrorist opened fire on Jews; a two-year old baby, Stefano Taché, became the first Italian victim of anti-Jewish violence since the war.
Not far from the ghetto, in the lower part of the Titus Gate, named after the Roman emperor who destroyed the Second Temple in Jerusalem, someone wrote in Hebrew: “Am Yisrael Chai.” The people of Israel not only had not been destroyed, but defiantly remained alive. It’s comforting to know that there is still someone with the courage to write it.
Giulio Meotti, a journalist with Il Foglio, is the author of the book A New Shoah: The Untold Story of Israel’s Victims of Terrorism
With this rise in anti-Semitism it is important to look at the situation as it will appear in upcoming events. Ambassador Alan Baker recently wrote an excellent article regarding the upcoming flotillas that Turkey will send to Gaza.
Read: http://www.jcpa.org/JCPA/Templates/ShowPage.asp?DRIT=1&DBID=1&LNGID=1&TMID=111&FID=442&PID=0&IID=7368&TTL=The_Gaza_Flotillas_to_Come:_Some_Ground_Rules_before_Setting_Out
ROFLMAO
spam-botted, as usual 🙁
It appears that Israel Week is moving ahead in Italy, with support from the local Jewish community. The Pals are trying to dirupt it, of course, but could not stop it.
Yamit,
I understand your positions, but don’t see much profit in them. Israel was able to put up a strong fight against its enemies when it was a socialist country; but lately it seems deeply divided between socialists, religious, irreligious hedonists, New Agers, you name it, and it can’t seem to put up a united front against its enemies. That’s what I was addressing, when I mentioned the “concensus” issue.
I agree with you, that Diaspora Jews don’t have much of a future as Diaspora Jews. As you say, they need to decide whether they want to be Jews or Italians, French, etc. American Jewry is big enough that it could survive as SOMETHING; but I don’t see that something as Jewish: The only concensus I can see among American Jews, is a drastically altered theology that makes God optional, holds eating organic as “holier” than eating kosher, and converts halacha to “social consciousness”. I don’t see much difference betweeen that and the New Age movement among non-Jews, and see the future god of this movement as the Mother goddess. I think Jews with more traditional views will have to decide whether they want to go to Israel or worship the goddess.
That said about the Galut, I don’t see much hope for Israel unless Israelis can drop some of their extreme “my way or the highway” notions and focus on the bare bones of building and maintaining a unified country. Otherwise, 70 CE will repeat itself, with the same end result.
Laura – does that answer your question? They’ve boxed themselves into a very uncomfortable corner, having dismissed the Jews in favour of the Arabs, and are relying on hatred of Jews to get them into a better situation; we know how that will work…
And this is just the beginning for them… Wait until the boatloads of refugees land on their shores…
And Shimom Peres is a leftist. Will he and other liberal Jews finally get it that there is a war against the Jews and their homeland and that being concilliatory will not make the hate stop? Europe is in the full throws of nazism. The irony is that its the muslims who wage war on the european continent, but its the Jews who the europeans hate and target. How sick are europeans?
Thanks for that! I am going to rebuild an old Sussita 🙂
BlandOatmeal says:
There are some 30,213 Jews in all of Italy which as a % of the totlal population is only 0.05%. Of these Jews there are elderly, young children and anti Israel Jewish Italians, unconcerned Jewish Italians and some with no open or active affiliation to anything Jewish including Israel. That might leave 1-2 thousand strong supporters of Israel. I don’t see them taking any major stand against a majority of the Italian people.
“Israeli governments do represent the Jewish people.”
Yes you meant it as an attack against me and I accept it seeing from where it’s coming from.
It’s not Israel or me who is distancing ourselves from Diaspora Jews it’d Diaspora Jews who are distancing themselves from us.
Israel can only represent those whose loyalty is first and foremost to the Jewish people and the State of Israel. An Italian or American Jew who is Italian or American first before being a Jew can never be counted upon or trusted to do what is needed when we need their help and support. We are connected but that connection is becoming weaker year by year. The antisemitism of the West that many stupid Jews believed died in the holocaust is still there and BTW, there isn’t a lot either the Jews in the diaspora or we in Israel can do about it.
As an ex pat. American Jew living in the Land of Israel long enough to partake in the most historic event since the creation of the world. I have little sympathy for Jews who choose the diaspora over Israel. Jews who saw the writing on the wall as early as 1934-38 in Europe got out. Those who moved to other European countries were caught later and murdered. Those who got to Palestine were saved,even the anti Zionist and anti Jewish Jews were saved ( Mostly German Jews)
I believe history does repeat. Not in the minute details but in the overall general themes, trends etc. Jews have seen this in all of our history and each time the Jew self deludes himself and says that was then not now not to me and he is always shocked when it does happen and to him. My position has always been clear the Jews outside of Israel have no future as Jews. Their fight today is to preserve their present. I believe it’s a wasted effort and one that they will eventually lose. if there really is a divine plan I don’t think they are part of it.
You should read all of Zechariah:
Zechariah says that the Jews of Judah prior to their final redemption will have endured a long history Of having been persecuted and treated with contempt. “AS YE WERE A CURSE AMONG THE HEATHEN, O HOUSE OF JUDAH, AND HOUSE OF ISRAEL” (Zechariah 8;13).
That their religion will have been unique to them and that only at the latter days will it be acknowledged:
[Zechariah 8:23] TEN MEN SHALL TAKE HOLD OUT OF ALL LANGUAGES OF THE NATIONS, EVEN SHALL TAKE HOLD OF THE SKIRT OF HIM THAT IS A JEW, SAYING, WE WILL GO WITH YOU: FOR WE HAVE HEARD THAT GOD IS WITH YOU.
And that the days of mourning and fasting that they practiced will become feast days:
[Zechariah 8:19] THE FAST OF THE FOURTH MONTH, – Tammuz.
AND THE FAST OF THE FIFTH, – Av
AND THE FAST OF THE SEVENTH, – Tishrei (Gedaliah)
AND THE FAST OF THE TENTH, – Tebeth (Tevet).
SHALL BE TO THE HOUSE OF JUDAH JOY AND GLADNESS, AND CHEERFUL FEASTS; THEREFORE LOVE THE TRUTH AND PEACE.
Only the Jews were treated with contempt and persecuted throughout much of their history in exile.
Only they kept the fast days listed by Zechariah.
Only they kept the uniqueness of their belief which in the Last days will be acknowledged by everyone.
Blockheads!!!!! Yes they bloody well do!!!!!!!!
Blockheads!!!!! The only problem with “Israeli militarism” is that there isn’t enough of it!!!!
Blockheads!!!!! Now you’ve forced us to boycott your whiskeys… Wait a minute…
Note to Euro blockheads in general: Considering the financial, social and military states of your member countries, do you people think that you are in ANY way able to wield influence toward Israel. Try Syria; you may have better luck…
Yamit, at least go out in style.
I’m dumping my Maserati 🙁
I’m boycotting Chinese whiskey’s, too!
Actually, I don’t think we buy anything from Italy. It all comes from China.
I’m boycotting all Italian whiskeys! Who’s with me?
The absolutely worst part of this madness, is that there are Jews in this world who support the Italian claims. Israel will certainly have to make a stand against Italy and the others; but the sad truth is, that Israel will have to make an equal or even stronger stand against Jews outside Israel. This is bound to happen, unless enough Italian Jews get up and loudly proclaim,
I don’t mean this as a personal attack against our Yamit; but Yamit, who represents at least a fraction of vocal Israeli Jewish opinion, (1) is more than happy to distance himself from diaspora Jews, but at the same time (2) says exactly what the Italians are saying, and the Italian Jews are quietly affirming, namely, that the government (and hence the State) of Israel does not represent the Jewish people.
I used poor Yam as an example, just to show the depth and nearness of the problem:
Read Zechariah 14: It ends in triumph for Messiah, but prophesies disaster for Israel. Johah also prophesied terrible things to the Assyrians, but they repented and God witheld his hand. Perhaps the Jews of Israel can show the same humility before their God. If they don’t, it’s 70 CE all over again.