Incidents of violence against Jews and other forms of anti-Semitic hatred rose dramatically around the world this summer during Israel’s defensive military action against Hamas terrorists in Gaza.
Jewish people and institutions in the Diaspora were targeted for violence, threats and vicious lies this summer, all under the pretext of outrage over Operation Protective Edge, according to a report released this week by the Anti-Defamation League.
The report, entitled Violence and Vitriol: Anti-Semitism Around the World During Israel’s Operation Protective Edge, July-August 2014, reveals a dangerous blend of anti-Jewish and anti-Israel sentiment witnessed in Argentina, Australia, Canada, Chile, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, Morocco, The Netherlands, South Africa, Spain, Turkey and Venezuela. It does not mention any incidents in the United States.
Visible Jews Targeted
Orthodox Rabbis and other visibly Jewish individuals were threatened in person, over the phone, via email and online. They were chased, beaten up and pelted with cans and eggs while their assailants screamed accusations and slogans such as “Heil Hitler,” “kill the Jews” and “free Palestine.”
Synagogues, a Holocaust memorial site, Jewish community centers, Jewish schools, a kosher store and a Jewish home faced attacks ranging from eggs to Molotov cocktails and were defaced by spray painting or signs bearing insults such as “child murderers” and “Israel assassin.”
Private, Public Spaces Violated
Public areas, including a bus shelter in a predominantly Jewish neighborhood, were marred by anti-Semitic and anti-Israel statements and images, including American and Israeli flags defaced with swastikas.
Anti-Israel protests were rife with signs accusing Israel of committing a Holocaust against Palestinians and equating Zionism with Nazism. Protesters were heard chanting “slaughter the Jews” and “death to Jews.”
The tendency to attack and blame Jews everywhere for Israel’s alleged crimes against the Palestinian people “metastasized” during the latest conflict, according to the report. The numerous incidents it cites “illustrate but do not fully document the hatred of Jews displayed thousands of miles away from Israel and Gaza.”
Author: Joanne Hill
Staff Writer, United with Israel
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