Prof. Anne Bayesfsky wonders if the U.N. is finally ready to get serious about anti-Semitism, as she speaks at a U.N. conference on the subject. I can't say I'm optimistic - her stark description of the very real anti-Semitism practiced within the U.N. is chilling. This paragraph in particular struck home:
"U.N.-led anti-Semitism moves from the demonization of Jews to the disqualification of Jewish victimhood: refusing to recognize Jewish suffering by virtue of their ethnic and national identity. In 2003 a General Assembly resolution concerned with the welfare of Israeli children failed (though one on Palestinian children passed handily) because it proved impossible to gain enough support for the word Israeli appearing before the word children."
Imagine that those were your children, and that the U.N. had just declared that they didn't deserve security from murder and violence. What would you call it? Would you accept that organization as an honest broker for peace?
Worse, this kind of demonization carries very real consequences on the ground worldwide.
Anti-Jewish incidents are rising sharply in Europe, and Joe Gandelman notes that things have reached a point where many Jews in France are seriously considering emigration:
"The prominent French Nazi-hunter Serge Klarsfeld bluntly told the Jerusalem Post this weekend that French Jews would be better off leaving their country.
"One of the lessons of the Holocaust is that even if you want to fight against a wave of anti-Semitism, the best [thing] is to leave if you can," he said, and noting Arab-Jewish tensions he added:""There will be an escalation of attacks [against Jews] in Europe, and especially in France."
Meanwhile, a spokesman for the Jewish Agency said a report compiled by the agency had found 30,000 out of France's 575,000 Jews were considering leaving for Israel and he characterized French Jews' situation as increasingly "difficult."
Well, isn't that an understatement. 5% of the total population is a very large figure for these kinds of reponses. To use an American example, you'd have to imagine 1.7 million black people seriously thinking about fleeing the country.
The rest makes for disturbing reading, but it's difficult to dispute. This kind of hatred is almost certain to get worse... and historically, that has been a real warning sign for the peace and health of our planet.
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