Friday 3 April 2009

European Coalition for Israel director calls for broad coalition against anti-Semitism

"As faith leaders we have a duty to be "our brothers’ keeper" and cannot keep silent when Jews are again threatened on the streets of Europe." (Tomas Sandell)

"These conspiracy theories of Jews taking over the world have been presented many times before in European history but are now resurfacing with new intensity on the internet and in other media." (Ioannis Dimitrakopoulos)

"ECI director Tomas Sandell called for "a broad coalition of faith leaders for fighting the resurgence of anti-Semitism in Europe" when he spoke at a one-day conference in the European Parliament in Brussels on Monday.

"The enemies of Israel and the Jewish people are plotting together like never before. This is our opportunity to find new partnerships for defending our European values and supporting the Jewish people", he said in a panel discussion together with, among others, Archbishop Philippe Barbarin of Lyon, Chief Rabbi of Poland Michael Schrudrich and Imam Hassen Chalghoumi of Drancy in Paris.

"As faith leaders we have a duty to be "our brothers’ keeper" and cannot keep silent when Jews are again threatened on the streets of Europe", he said in his speech. He also called upon the European Union, as well as civil society organizations, to withdraw from the planned UN World Conference on Racism in Geneva in order not to legitimize those powers who want to demonize Israel and wipe out the Jewish state from the world map. In the draft resolution, which is being prepared for the UN conference by a working group consisting of, among others, Libya, Cuba and Iran, only one state is singled out as a "racist state", namely Israel.

"This is unacceptable", said vice-president Jacques Barrot of the European Commission who promised to personally follow the developments leading up to the UN conference starting on April 20 in order to blow the whistle if the final resolution text is not compatible with EU values as they are codified in the Charter for Fundamental Rights but Sandell objected.

"There is no need to wait," he said. "The draft text is known to everyone and now is the right time to withdraw, not later".

The one day conference "Building Together the Future of Europe - The fight against anti-Semitism, defending European values and co-existence" was initiated by the European Jewish Congress and organized under the patronage of the European Parliament president Hans-Gert Pöttering. In presentations both from Head of Unit Ioannis Dimitrakopoulos from the European Union Fundamental Rights Agency and Jewish representatives from various countries the message was same; the level of anti-Semitic violence has now reached its highest level since the end of the Second World War and the month of February has been the most violently anti-Semitic in Europe during this whole period.

"It is both the high number of anti-Semitic incidents as well as the intensity of these incidents which gives us causes for concerns", admitted Dimitrakopolus. "It is not only the military operation in Gaza which has contributed to this rise of anti-Semitism but also the current financial crisis where the Jews are openly accused for being behind the financial meltdown."

"These conspiracy theories of Jews taking over the world have been presented many times before in European history but are now resurfacing with new intensity on the internet and in other media," he warned.

Several speakers noted how the criticism of Israel has become radicalized. The last few weeks banners of terrorist organizations, such as Hamas and Hezbollah, have been openly displayed in marches where many mainstream political leaders have also taken part. Both terrorist organizations call for the dismantling of the Jewish state.

Though there were few reasons to be optimistic in the present climate the chairman of the Finnish Jewish Community Ronny Smolar presented one.

"In the Nordic countries the small Jewish communities have been living in relative peace up till now. Now many feel that they are being personally blamed and targeted because of the events in Gaza. Many feel insecure."

"But the situation is not out of hand. When Jews in the Nordic countries have been targeted in street demonstrations our Christian friends have come to our help", he said.

Several national leaders of Jewish communities called upon the ECI to come alongside to help stand against the new threats.

"This is perfectly in line with what the ECI wants to accomplish", replied Sandell. He recalled that in a similar conference at the European Commission in Brussels in 2004 Nobel Prize winner Elie Wiesel spoke about the lack of support from other groups than the Jewish organizations. "Where are all the others", he asked.

"We want to be that coalition of "all the others", concluded Sandell. " This is the time to stand together as one to prevent history from repeating itself."

Source: ECI (A Christian initiative promoting European-Israeli Cooperation)

- European Parliament conference vows to fight anti-Semitism
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"Do not let Israel become the Sudetenland of today", Hanna Orgonikova (ECI)
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European Coalition for Israel warns against surge of anti-Semitism in Europe
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"Are we using European tax money to promote peace or hatred?", asks ECI director
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European Coalition for Israel on working visit to Paris

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

HOLOCAUST QUASI-RELIGION AS AN INSTRUMENT OF CULTURE WAR
Two controversial incidents reported widely by world media in the end of 2006 year, i.e. Teheran Conference on Holocaust, as well as, releasing of Holocaust-denier British historian David Irving from Austrian jail rise a question if Holocaust still may be treated as a historical fact or it has become already a kind of quasi-religion having its own taboos and heretics. IN OUR DEMOCRATIC WORLD EVERYBODY HAS UNDENIABLE RIGHT TO BELIEVE IN ANY FAITH HE/SHE CHOSED BUT WE THE PEOPLE SHOULD NOT ACCEPT ANY RELIGION TO BE FORCED OR MAINTAINED BY ANY GOVERNMENT!
Every historical fact is unique, exceptional and different from other events but simultaneously it is still somehow similar and it can be compared to them, as it is always repetition of something what already had happened in the past or what can take place in the future. If some event is recognized as absolutely unique, exceptional, uncommon and incomparable, it is not any more integral part of history of humanity but becomes a myth, sacrum, taboo we are not able to research, analyze or understand using intellectual tools.
This is just what has happened to Holocaust. As Elie Wiesel said ( Gazeta Wyborcza, 01/27/95): “Holocaust is a mystery human mind cannot reach. Auschwitz was a different planet. Holocaust is transcendent in relation to history. It cannot be treated as a historical fact but rather as an eschatological drama, part of a saint way or cosmic event and must be inquired using metaphysical and theological instruments. According to Elie Wiesel (Bog po Oswiecimiu, p. 26) even talking about Auschwitz or Treblinka is a kind of blasphemy and cannot be approached without holy apprehension.”
Eschatological interpretation of Holocaust was done by Polish famous SF author and philosopher Stanislaw Lem in his book Prowokacja (Krakow 1984). According to Lem. Nazi Germans who were not able to kill God himself, tried to annihilate God’s chosen nation to take its privileged position. After that bloody dethroning in effigie they expected to become self-chosen nation of human history. Saint signs were not destroyed but inverted. Murder played role of anti-redemption: Germans released themselves from Covenant with God.
Similar interpretation of Holocaust was presented by Abraham Foxman (ADL Bulletin On the Frontline, January 1994, p. 2) According to his opinion, Holocaust is not just one of many examples of genocide but almost successful attempt on life of chosen children of God and in fact on God himself. Holocaust is a singular event in history of mankind and antithesis of act of Creation as it was described in Bible.
Professor Gunnar Heinsohn of Bremen University proved that uniqueness of Holocaust does not depend on number of Jews killed by Nazis ( as Communists murdered many times more Gentiles in Gulag) or on specific methods of killing (gas chambers) but on Hitler’s intentions. He wanted to eliminate Jewish ethics based on Ten Commandments (especially the fifth one) and to restore the right to genocide. So, death penalty for Jews did not concern “Jewish race” but rather “Jewish soul.” Hitler wanted to destroy Jews because they invented God.
Henryk Grynberg (Prawda nieartystyczna, Katowice 1990, p.131) broadened concept of uniqueness accusing the whole humanity of Holocaust. Nazis represented all the mankind. It looks like we face situation called in logics as reductio ad absurdum (reducing to absurdity). If Holocaust is to be recognized as a crime of humanity, it means logical that Jews are not part of mankind. So, who are they - Angels, Supermen? Such talmudic way of thinking distinguishing Jews and goiym (cattle) was inverted by Nazis who treated Jews as something different from people, i.e. subhuman. They changed “nation” but used the same logics.
There is another moral problem. If all Jews as a nation should be recognized as “Holocaust victims” what about those American Jews millionaires who did nothing to help their brethren in Europe during WWII or thousands of Bolshevik Jews involved in communism crimes against humanity? Not mention Zionists cooperating with Nazis or Israelis killing Palestinian kids and women. Are they also “Holocaust victims”? Such dangerous questions are forbidden in our hypocritic Western civilization where Holocaust became an official religion.
Above means that a powerful central taboo of a new religion born in Auschwitz was created. This new religion has its own relics, saint places, temples, priests, as well as, heretics and may be also Holocaust atheists. Holocaust became one of the basic points of the contemporary Western culture, politics and ideology. Still remaining a Jewish myth, Holocaust was universalized by mass media and educational systems and transformed into a prism the XX age history or even the whole human history should be seen through. Holocaust does not belong to the past. It is a sanctified system of dogmas with quasi-religious structure that can be used as a powerful political and ideological or moral instrument to reach not necessary sublime goals. Holocaust quasi-religion can be involved in political and ideological conflicts or power-play.it is an effective tool of moral blackmail, indoctrination and propaganda or even a culture war.
The first victim of Holocaust quasi-religion is Christianity. Holocaust eclipsed the central event of Christianity i.e. Sacrifice of Jesus. For Jews Holocaust is an equivalent to Crucifixion and Israel is an equivalent to Redeem. In Shoah Jewish nation died for God undertaking upon itself the burden of his unimaginable guilt for his indifference, absence or powerlessness. Some Christian theologians behave like Holocaust religion converts. Although they cannot openly equalize Auschwitz to Golgotha, as it would mean abandoning of Christianity, they made already the first step in this direction. They start from creating special relations between Cross and Holocaust, next equalize them to announce victory of Holocaust in the end. Gas chambers overcame Cross, Auschwitz overshadowed Gologotha, Jews sacrifice is bigger than Jesus one.(Waclaw Hryniewicz Niepojety Bog w obliczu piekiel swiata, ZNAK 4/1996). Polish theologian dr Michal Czajkowski a big enthusiast of Christian-Jewish dialog (on knees), demanded creation of a new Christian theology and doctrine after Shoah. All those facts show symptoms of surrender of Christianity to Holocaust religion or Judaization of Christianity.
Simultaneously, Christianity is charged for responsibility that Holocaust happened in Europe.Traditional Christian theology was reversed: instead of Jews responsible for killing Jesus now Christians are charged for murder of Jews in Holocaust. Holocaust is recognized as negative culmination of Christianity. So, Christianity lost its basis to exist and must be replaced by a new religion.
In Poland, strong catholic faith country where Jan Paul II was born, anti-Christian agenda of communism was orchestrated with destruction of the Church by insiders like Michal Czajkowski. It is not coincidence that recently Polish Commission for Decommunisation found documents proving long time cooperation of Michal Czajkowski with special department of communist secret services created to weaken influence of catholic Church in Poland. Works of Holocaust-religion converts are full of overwhelming poisonous and blasphemous nihilism matching aggressive atheism of communists.
Stanley Sas
(stanisas@hotmail.com)