Thursday, October 17, 2013
Fearful of anti-Semitism, 22% of European Jews hide identity
Almost a quarter of respondents in a major survey of Jews from nine European countries said they avoid visiting places and wearing symbols that identify them as Jews for fear of anti-Semitism.Rising Tide of Hate for European Jews
Fear of wearing a kippah and other identifiably Jewish items was especially strong in Sweden, where 49 percent of 800 respondents said they refrained from such actions, in a survey conducted this year among more than 5,100 Jews by the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights.
In France, 40 percent of approximately 1,200 Jews said they avoided wearing such items in public, followed by Belgium with 36 percent, according to preliminary results from the survey, obtained by JTA.
In total, 22 percent of respondents said they avoided “Jewish events or sites” because of safety concerns.
If Jews don’t think it is worth it to report even physical assaults, it can only mean one thing: that they believe such behavior is no longer considered beyond the pale or even frowned upon by mainstream European opinion. Given the drumbeat of incitement against Israel, which serves as a thinly veiled excuse for traditional anti-Jewish attitudes, throughout Europe, it is little surprise to see that this is being reflected in such incidents.The Palestinian Grievance Industry
After a period during which Jewish life revived there in the aftermath of the Holocaust, it is obvious that much of the continent is in the process of reverting to its pre-World War Two attitudes. At the very least, surveys like this call into question the future of Jews in Europe. At worst, it portends worse to come. But either way, the lack of security for Jews in supposedly enlightened Europe makes the defense of Israel all the more important.
History will record that the Palestinian Cause was the single most destructive political issue in Arab history. Instead of focusing on building Arab societies by pressuring 21 Arab rulers, tens of millions of Arabs funneled their attention to a lost Cause the Palestinian themselves have turned into an ATM machine. The Arab Spring, sparked by economic deprivation, killed the Palestinian Cause and it is about time. Who would believe Israel is the enemy after watching the Assad resistance gassing Syrian children and women? The message is if you do not resist, we will kill you. Assad did a great favor for Israel here.(h/t Norman F)New Amazon shame: Holocaust denial
...even more shocking still is the revelation today, following a third Kernel investigation, that Amazon, along with its rival bookstore, Barnes & Noble, are selling vile works of Holocaust denial, even in countries where Holocaust denial is against the law, such as France, Germany and Austria.Jihad and terror: listen to what they're telling you
To reduce the company’s exposure to tax, Amazon’s European headquarters are in Liechtenstein, where it is also illegal to deny genocide according to section 283 of that country’s criminal code.
A recent Arabic article appearing in Egypt’s Al Ahram newspaper titled “Is Terrorism Jihad?” written by Islamic law expert Dr. Abdul Fatah Idris offers important lessons -- from the fact that jihad does involve subjugating non-Muslims to why the Western mentality is still incapable of acknowledging it.Ban Ki-Moon: Anti-Semitism Has No Place in the 21st Century
Idris, professor and chairman of Al Azhar University’s Department of Comparative Jurisprudence at the Faculty of Sharia Law, is a well-reputed legal scholar. He begins his article by defining terrorism and quoting several international bodies that, in his words,
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said that the U.N. shares common goals with American Jewry in pursuit of “peace and human dignity for all” at the 50th anniversary tribute gala of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations on Tuesday in New York.Here’s How the IDF Blows up a Terrorists’ Tunnel (Video)
Ban praised American Jews for their efforts in fighting injustice and extremism.
The latest tunnel that was discovered will be blown up because it was obviously a clear and present danger to Israelis, but no one the Defense Ministry has ever explained why there are no orders to the IDF to blow up all of the other tunnels that are known to exist. If the IDF were to be too aggressive, it might upset the United Nations. Gen. Edelstein tried to reassure Gaza Belt Jews by saying that the military considered the construction of the tunnel an “extreme violation” of the ceasefire following the Pillar of defense counter terrorist operation last year.
Ein Hashlosha: 'Calm Despite Discovery of Terror Tunnel'
Danni Cohen, Head of the Emergency Response team at the kibbutz told Arutz Sheva that kibbutz residents were calm after the discovery of the 2.5 kilometer tunnel.The duplicity of the British Methodist Church
"We weren't surprised by the discovery of the tunnel. Unfortunately, we have lived with a security problem for many years now because of the kassams and mortars, we know the Palestinian Arabs are constantly trying to dig tunnels." Cohen said.
Instead of coming out publicly and saying that Israel shouldn’t exist, as they do theologically behind closed doors, they try to wrap themselves with a cloak of public opinion support for their consumer questionnaire.England’s Cooperative Wholesale Society and the Israel Boycott
They think they are being clever by implementing such tactics, but they are not talking about rights, they are talking about destroying Israel. Their claim to be agnostic about Israel is a lie, told because they know their support would dwindle if they were to openly say that according to their religious beliefs, Israel has no right to exist.
Some Coop members have decided to fight back, which is exactly what happened at the North London meeting held on October 12. There were various placatory statements from the committee, but no intention has been displayed by the Cooperative movers and shakers to reverse the boycott policy. Again, the boycotters denied they are operating a boycott, and even claimed that they continue to trade with Israel in other fields.SS officer’s son: Bury my father in Israel
Meanwhile, the Coop’s trading figures go from bad to worse. Perhaps a curse (or some other Higher Power) has overtaken the Coop. Only the funeral service has done well, and the Cooperative Bank is about to go bust. In fact, to its utter shame, the Bank will not be honoring its full debt to its bond-holders and has been forced – against every tenet of the Cooperative Movement – to offer shares in the Bank on the Stock Exchange!
Is this bad luck, mismanagement –– or divine intervention?
The son of a former SS officer provoked a storm of outrage by suggesting his father be buried in Israel, after a number of countries refused to inter the Nazi’s remains.Muslims launch massive legal assault on free speech in France
“Where should my father be buried?” asked Jorge Priebke, whose father, Erich, died last week at the age of 100 after serving a life term for a 1944 massacre near Rome. “For me, even in Israel. That way they’d be happy,”
The weekly satirical magazine is accused of "provocation to discrimination, hated or violence with regard to a person or a group of persons because of their origin or their belonging or not belonging to an ethnicity, a nation, a race or a given religion". In July 2013, Charlie Hebdo published on its front page a drawing supposed to represent a Muslim declaring: "The Koran, it's crap, it doesn't stop bullets."DNA testing on your smartphone just a download away
Genetic sequencing is no longer for the uber-wealthy and uber-patient: If a decade ago it cost $3 billion and took 8 years to sequence the human genome, that option is available to anyone today who has $3,500 to spend and is willing to wait the 24 hours it takes to do the job. Pretty soon, experts say, the cost for sequencing is going to come down to about $1,000.Chinese Family Seeks Owner of Books Hidden During Holocaust
So what can you do with your genomic DNA sequence? Soon you will be able to whip out your smartphone and analyze it, using an app developed by researchers at Tel Aviv University.
Their app (and website) GeneG makes genetic analysis as simple as sending a text message or making a phone call.
A Chinese family is seeking a former Jewish refugee in Shanghai to return 2,000 of his books they kept safe for 70 years, media reports said Thursday.Government Approves New Aliyah for Indian 'Lost Jews'
Shanghai was home to tens of thousands of Jewish refugees who fled Nazi persecution in Europe from the 1930s.
One of them, a Jewish schoolteacher, left books with Lin Daozhi for safekeeping when he left China in 1943, the China Daily newspaper reported.
The cabinet has voted to allow nearly 900 “lost Jews” from India to make aliyah (immigrate) to Israel over the upcoming months.Report: ‘Troubling Reactions’ From Jewish, Christian Audiences to Test Screenings for Hollywood’s Take on Noah’s Ark
The new immigrants-to-be are members of the Bnei Menashe, a group of Indian citizens who trace their roots to the Jewish tribe of Menashe (Manasseh) – one of the ten “lost tribes” exiled by the Assyrian regime over 2,700 years ago.
Hollywood is finally taking on the full tale of Noah’s ark, but the film, directed by Darren Aronofsky, has not been received kindly in early previews, according to The Hollywood Reporter.Facebook VP on Onavo Buy: ‘Amazed’ by Talent in Israel
THR said ”test screenings for key groups that might take a strong interest in the subject matter: in New York (for a largely Jewish audience), in Arizona (Christians)…have generated troubling reactions.”
Nicola Mendelsohn, Facebook’s vice president for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, said the social media company was “amazed” by the talent resources in Israel, which is why it acquired Israel’s Onavo on Monday for some $150 million and announced plans to build its first overseas research and development center in Tel Aviv.
