I hope I'm just being stupid in writing this, but today's events seem to have taken on an inevitability which is frightening. Such staggering levels of anti-Semitic conspiracy-thinking are evidence of a rising chaos in the European mind.
And, of course, in the Middle East, it's even worse.
And, being that the world's diplomatic corps, believe that it is their duty to bring about compromises and "peace agreements" with nations who want Israel dead, and who stand in uncompromising antipathy to the Western world, this latest survey from the ADL gives rise to the fear in me that the deck is irrevocably stacked against sanity, and against the Jews.
Anti-Defamation League poll conducted in seven European countries shows almost half of Europeans believe Jews more loyal to Israel than countries they live in, 40% say Jews have too much powerAnti-Semitic attitudes still prevail in Europe: An Anti-Defamation League report published on Tuesday showed that nearly half of the Europeans surveyed believe Jews are not loyal to their country and more than one-third believe they have "too much power" in business and finance.
The study further showed that 31% of the respondents across Europe blame Jews in the financial industry for the current global economic crisis.
The poll was conducted between the dates December 1 and January 13 among 3,500 adults in seven European countries: Austria, France, Hungary, Poland, Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom.
Overall, 40% of Europeans in those countries believe that Jews have too much power in the business world, with more than half of Hungarian, Spanish and Polish respondents agreeing with that statement.
18 comments:
It's not stupid. That's exactly how Hitler stirred the Germans up against the Jews.
He said they owned all the stores. Owned all the banks. Owned all the businesses. And that begat Kristallnacht.
From Ynet:
"A comparison with the 2007 survey indicates that levels of anti-Semitism have remained steady in six of the seven countries tested. The United Kingdom was the only country in which there was a marked decline."
It is unfair to lump Britain in with Continental Europe. Culturally Britain is part of the Anglosphere and only geographically part of Europe.
Support for Israel is growing where those who are unaware of the cultural difference would least expect it - see http://swindonnationalists.blogspot.com/2009/02/british-national-party-yesterdays-enemy.html
and comments at http://bnp.org.uk/2009/02/islamification-of-britain-sparks-jump-in-anti-jewish-attacks/
BNPVFOI
I have little doubt that what you say is true.
However, that does not mean that there is not a serious problem in the UK.
I wonder what the numbers are in America?
Pastorius,
The numbers are probably larger than they would be in the UK because of the large immigrant Islamic population that refuse to embrace western culture has as a population has been traditionally steeped in Jew hatred.
I don't know about that, Damien. I believe Muslims only make up about 3% of the English population. They just happen to represent a very large percentage of the population in London.
The actual numbers of Muslims are underestimated by the British census. They are probably around 6 or 7% of the UK population and increasing by 0.5% to 1% per annum.
However, the main cause of the cultural difference is that in the six Continental countries, Roman Catholicism, with its institutionlised anti-Semitism has been dominant, whereas in Britain Anglicanism and its spinoffs such as Methodism and Quakerism have been most influential.
To my knowledge neither the Anglicans, the Methodists nor the Quakers have ever persecuted the Jews.
BNP voting friend of Israel,
Well that's nice to hear.
BNP -- right. If it's not the Muslims blaming and persecuting the Jews, it's the Roman Catholics with their institutionalized anti-semitism.
That's just fucking great.
islamists used spin a lot on the madoff bankruptcy, for example...
Sweetness & Light has a post up about the September 18 "electronic run on the banks" Rep. Kanjorski spoke about on C-Span and which was picked up by Rush and others. Speculation centers on Soros with the crisis timed to McCain's taking a lead in the polls.
Anybody know what could have caused a sudden "tremendous drawdown of money market accounts in the United States... to the tune of $550 billion"? And if they had not shut it down, would it really have gone to the extremes described by Kanjorski?
I remember being told that day that we were hours away from you go to the ATM machine and there is no money. Not there, not anywhere. Could a consortium (Soros, Russia, China, SA, Venezuela, etc.) that wanted Obama elected really have come that close to tanking our entire economy?
BNP -- apologies for the quick & harsh words. I get touchy on the Catholic bashing (which is what it originally sounded like to my ears) and assiging of all the Church's wrongs (I admit there have been many) past or present to every living Catholic now.
That said, for any who don't know, in 1965 the Church officially (finally) condemned the blaming of the Jews for the Crucifixtion and said we are all to blame as sinners (if we weren't sinners Christ would have never been crucified). Anyway, the document was the Nostra aetate, the final version ( I think) reads such (only the part pertaining specifically to this discussion):
As this Sacred Synod searches into the mystery of the Church, it remembers the bond that ties the people of the New Covenant to Abraham's stock.
With a grateful heart, the Church of Christ acknowledges that, according to God's saving design, the beginnings of her faith and her election were already among the patriarchs, Moses, and the prophets. She professes that all who believe in Christ — Abraham's sons according to faith — were included in the same patriarch's call, likewise that her salvation is mystically foreshadowed by the chosen people's exodus from the land of bondage.
The Church, therefore, cannot forget that she received the revelation of the Old Testament from the people with whom God in His ineffable mercy concluded the Ancient Covenant. Nor can she forget that she feeds upon the root of that cultivated olive tree into which the wild shoots of the Gentiles have been grafted (cf. Rom. 11, 17-24). Indeed, the Church believes that by His cross Christ our Peace reconciled the Jews and Gentiles, making both one (cf. Eph. 2, 14, 16).
The Church keeps ever in mind the words of the Apostle about his kinsmen: "Theirs is the sonship, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. Theirs are the patriarchs, and of them is the Christ according to the flesh," the Son of Mary the Virgin (Rom. 9, 4-5). No less does she recall that the Apostles, the Church's foundation stones and pillars, as well as most of the early disciples who proclaimed Chnst’s Gospel to the world, sprang from the Jewish people.
Even though a large part of the Jews did not accept the Gospel, they remain most dear to God, according to the Apostle, for the sake of the patriarchs, since Gods gifts and call are irrevocable (cf. Rom. 11, 28 f.). In company with the prophets and the same Apostle, the Church awaits that day, known to God alone, on which all peoples will address the Lord in a single voice and "serve Him shoulder to shoulder" (Soph. 3, 9; cf. Is. 66, 3, 9; cf. Is. 66, 23; Ps. 65, 4; Rom. 11, 11-32).
Since the spiritual patrimony common to Christians and Jews is of such magnitude, this Sacred Synod wants to foster and recommend that mutual knowledge and respect that are, above all, the fruit of biblical and theological studies as well as of fraternal dialogues. Moreover, this Synod, in her rejection of injustices of whatever kind and wherever inflicted upon people, and recalling our common patrimony, deplores and condemns hatred and persecutions of Jews, whether they arose in former or in our own days.
May all, then, see to it that in their catechetical work or in their preaching of the word of God they do not teach anything that could give rise to hatred or contempt of Jews in the hearts of Christians. May they never present the Jewish people as one rejected, cursed, or guilty of deicide. All that happened to Christ in His passion cannot be attributed to the whole people then alive, much less to that of today. Besides, the Church has always held and holds now that Christ underwent His passion and death freely, because of the sins of all people and out of infinite love. Therefore, Christian preaching is to proclaim the Cross of Christ as a sign of God's all-embracing love and as the fountain from which every grace flows.
Ok -- now, before anyone takes me to task on this or what the Church does or doesn't live up to remember 1. I'm no Theologian, just a dude in the pew (yeah yeah Obama was too I know give it a friggin' rest already) and 2. I'm no expert and will not debate this as such. I had to look most of this stuff up myself.
BNP voting friend of Israel said.
To my knowledge neither the Anglicans, the Methodists nor the Quakers have ever persecuted the Jews.
Well sorry wacko, I smell a little porkie here, why! the Anglicans are not doing to prevent the persecution either.
In September 2004 the Anglican Peace and Justice Network, representing the 77 million
member Anglican Communion, toured the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem for eight days, meeting Yasser Arafat, Palestinian Church representatives and Israeli Arabs, but no Israeli government officials.
Their report, entitled Give Sight to the Blind and Freedom to the Captives, was one-sided. It exclusively condemned Israel and its “draconian conditions” imposed on Palestinians, and attributed violence solely to the Occupation. The report recommended immediate dismantling of the “separation
wall”, withdrawal of the Israeli army to pre-1967 borders, unconditional recognition of a sovereign state of Palestine with Jerusalem as its capital and the right of return for Palestinian refugees.
This report and its recommendations were officially adopted in June 2005 by the
Anglican Consultative Council (ACC), which in turn recommended to Anglican provinces worldwide a policy of disinvestment from companies “supporting the
occupation” of Palestinian lands.
On February 6, 2006, the Anglican General Synod backed overwhelmingly a call from the Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East to disinvest from “companies profiting from the illegal occupation” of Palestinian territories.
From an Anglican prayer book
O merciful God, who hast made all men, and hatest nothing that thou hast made, nor wouldest the death of any sinner, but rather that he be converted and live; Have mercy upon all Jews, Turks, Infidels, and Heretics, and take from them all ignorance, hardness of heart, and contempt of thy Word; and so fetch them home, blessed Lord, to thy flock, that they may be saved among the remnant of the true Israelites, and be made one fold under one shepherd, Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end. Amen
Not very Jewish friendly I would say
BNP voting friend of Israel left this link
http://bnp.org.uk/2009/02/islamification-of-britain-sparks-jump-in-anti-jewish-attacks
Well I have been following that thread, plus making comment
One of my comment was concerning Nick Griffins Holo-hoax statement in 1998, and whenis he going to admit he was wrong.
My comment did not clear moderation
This points to the fact that the BNP still has a long way to go.
And this latest statement from him, does not reflect good
Mr Griffin said the church leaders - being led by the nose by clerical Marxists and Ugandan or Pakistan-born bishops - should not bother trying to interfere with the democratic rights of British people.
http://bnp.org.uk/2009/02/as-churches-are-turned-into-mosques-coe-worries-about-the-bnp/
Now there are not many Pakistani bishops, but one does come to mind Michael Nazir-Ali. It should be pointed out that he was one of the very few voted to make amendments to the proposal.
Griffin was out of order to slash out at him.
It just doesn't matter.
Since 135 AD (in 'modern' history) the Romans made the jews a tiny permanent stateless minority everywhere, and that was after the Assyrians were nearly as successful in the 6th century BC.
Nowhere were the jews numerous enough, or influential enough to overcome that for more than a few years.
After the Council of Nicaea the church was officially anti semitic, and 300 years later Mo made the word of god into a racist spew.
Does anyone think for an instant that if there were an IDF as powerful as is it today that ANY of this could have happened?
Perhaps if the Romans had made the Carthaginians stateless instead of wiping them out, and had they a religion which unified them over the world, it would be them and not the jews blamed by a third of europeans for this worldwide mess.
We are caterwauling about the nature of humans.
Those in power have always been smart enough to know the blood libels, control of the banks, poisoning the wells yadda blah blah are bull.
When it served the powerful they used this with the mob (name your religion, or nation) to repress, expel or murder this defenseless particular ultra tiny minority for their own purposes. What was the risk? Get rid of a few, maybe not pay off some loans, get some jewels or whatever from those who had to be able to carry their wealth with them because of earlier expulsion, pogroms and murders, ready to leave in a moment.
That the jews are at this moment in focus because of the history of mankind's bigotry and cynicism is almost irrelevant. It could have been any tiny group with profoundly cohesive beliefs.
What is important is to recognize how the weakness of men is used by others.
These stories: Gaza, schools, Jenin, stealing organs, manipulating banks, news, govts, the Quranic racisms, the Church reinstatements, claims of the 'amen corner', men here like Buchanan, Moran, Paul, the Arab and muslims govts, all represent the greatest force on the planet - the weakness of men... (which is why our constitution has worked until now...IT DEPENDS ON SUCH WEAKNESS)
It is also why men like Ronald Reagan and FDR are so admired .. they appeal to what we aspire to IN SPITE OF RECOGNIZING those weaknesses.
So when we see these stories, '31%', let's not forget what it's really about...
Not really the jews ..
MANKIND
So when you see it, just look for who is using the jews ... and why. What's important about the jews is who is trying to kill them.
Whoever it is, you can bet they are evil, for they ALWAYS represent the ignorance of man, in the mob, to use the mob for their own purposes.
Maybe it's the triumph of their own civilization, or religion, or greater riches, but you can bet the force they depend on for that triumph is the weakness of mankind.
THAT MAKES THEM EVIL.
Tikkun Olam, baby
This is unbelievable! After all those years after post-war education, and it is happening again. How come, I wonder? This "let's blame Jews" has been reoccurring for centuries and ended up in killing of over 6 million Jews 60 years ago. And yet it's not enough.. Crisis comes up and the same feelings are raising up again!
Julie
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