AN AMERICAN JEWISH GERMAN INFORMATION & OPINION NEWSLETTER

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GERMANY EDITION February 27, 2014 IN THIS EDITION MERKEL IN ISRAEL A staged but important event. EUROPE, THE EU & ANTI-SEMITISM How do European Jews see Europe? COUNTING THE JEWS Who decides how many? THE IMPORTTANCE OF JORDAN A frequently left out entity in thinking about Middle East peace. EU PARLIAMENT PRESIDENT & THE KNESSET - The EU Parliament President came to Israel. It was not a great visit. THE PRESBYTERIANS Jewish interreligious work has had little success with this group of conservative Christians. HATE MAIL; WHO SENDS IT? Anti-Semitic hate comes from those you would least expect to be its author. Dear Friends: Will the winter never end? Were freezing here in New York. There are still mounds of snow all over (mostly now turned to ice). This is not the North Pole but its a good facsimile. The trip to Israel by Chancellor Merkel and her cabinet has just ended and no matter what the policy disagreements are, unless you always see the glass as half-empty, it has to be considered a success (see article below). Im a half-full guy myself so I like what I saw and heard. Sure there are rumblings of discontent and, perhaps the polls are not very positive these days, but when I look around and see the chaos in the Ukraine, Syria, and Africa, Im glad the two nations I like the best after my own are getting along pretty well. Call me Pollyanna! Ill plead guilty to it. 1

I think many of you know that I also do an American Edition mostly for American Jews who want to know about whats going on in Germany around the issues of common interest. If you dont receive it and want, let me know at dubowdigest@optonline.net . Both editions are posted at www.dubowdigest.typepad.com . Ill be visiting Berlin in early April (Apr. 6-12). Id love to touch base with some of you who are there. Let me know Ill make it my business to get in touch. Lets get on to the news MERKEL IN ISRAEL The trip of Chancellor Merkel and her cabinet to Israel received great coverage in both the Israeli and Anglo-Jewish press here in the U.S. While it was well-staged in advance (no one likes surprises) with all the right things being said, it was important because these sorts of formal diplomatic events do have importance. When two nations that have some strong disagreements but are entwined by history come together, that in itself is a statement of importance. The fact that Chancellor Merkel received Israels highest civilian award is a message to the world and the people of both nations involved. Of course there are disagreements over some issues (Iran, the Palestinians, etc.) but they have not reached the critical point where relations have begun to come apart. It is rumored that Merkel and Netanyahu dont like each other. So what? Like many married people I know who have their disagreements and even petty hates it doesnt make any difference. Theyre stuck! The same goes for these two national leaders. I have said many times that Israel and Germany need each other. These ministerial meetings, especially at this time with new German ministers having just taken office, have personal importance for those involved. They also show the depth of the connection between the two countries for the rest of the world to see. I would deem this weeks meetings as very successful not so much because a lot of business was transacted or positions changed. Theyre important because they took place. Period! To read some of the Israeli coverage click here. http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4492534,00.html

EUROPE, THE EU & ANTI-SEMITISM I don't normally reprint opinion pieces, however I am doing this with an article by Eldad Beck, the Berlin correspondent of Yediot Achronot. It bears reading. Why? Because I

believe it represents the beliefs of a great many Jews living in Europe - and, I guess, in the United States as well. Beck, writing in Y-Net News, an Israel based e-news outlet in their "Opinion" section, writes" The European Union has found an efficient way of fighting anti-Semitism: Concealing it by completely ignoring its existence, especially in Europe. In honor of International Holocaust Remembrance Day which took place last week, Catherine Ashton, the high representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy for the EU, issued a short statement which included only two paragraphs and 120 words in English. One could find there wordings like: "We honor every one of those brutally murdered in the darkest period of European history," "We also want to pay a special tribute to all those who acted with courage and sacrifice to protect their fellow citizens against persecution," "It is an occasion to remind us all of the need to continue fighting prejudice and racism in our own time," "The respect of human rights and diversity lies at the heart of what the European Union stands for." Two words were missing from Ashton's laconic statement: Jews and anti-Semitism. The Holocaust was an exclusive outcome of European anti-Semitism. Anti-Semitism which is raising its head again today in the old continent. In Greece, Hungary and Austria, neo-Nazi anti-Semitic parties are sitting in the parliaments again, France is agog over a comedian marketing anti-Semitism as entertainment for the masses, and mass media outlets in Germany, France and Poland are filled with anti-Semitism. In addition, in light of the deep social-economic crisis in most EU countries, neo-Nazi, fascist, anti-Semitic and racist parties may increase their representation in the upcoming European Parliament elections. But Baroness Ashton doesnt think she should address anti-Semitism individually as far as she and the EU are concerned, it's just part of a more general phenomenon of "racism." In the past few years, the EU has waged a consistent battle against every effort to hold a discussion on the anti-Semitic frenzy in Europe. In 2003, a report commissioned by the EU on the issue was buried, mainly because it mentioned Muslim anti-Semitism. Later on, the EU created a comparison between anti-Semitism and Islamophobia, and finally argued and asserted that Islamophobia is Europe's big problem, and that in fact there is no longer significant anti-Semitism but just "legitimate criticism against Israel's policy." In honor of the latest anniversary of the Kristallnacht pogrom, the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights prepared a survey which pointed to a significant increase in anti-Semitism in Europe, and as a result to the desire of one-quarter of Europe's Jews to leave their countries. Certain people in Ashton's bureau begged for weeks that the European foreign ministry would properly address the survey's terrible results, but the majority of officials there were against it.

"In the European foreign service, the famous and known anti-Israel stance has turned into open anti-Semitism long ago," admits a senior source in the European Commission, who is in constant touch with Ashton's people. That is, apparently, the explanation for European anti-Semitism: The anti-Semites never treated anti-Semitism as a problem. I am very reluctant to ever accuse anybody of being an anti-Semite. To me it is a tag that I reserve for only those I am absolutely convinced are enemies of the Jewish people. However, as Ive pointed out numerous times there are those that carry an extreme distaste for Jews and, in this day and age, by extension, the State of Israel. Sometimes their views border on being anti-Semitic.. Of course, it is certainly possible to hold negative views about Israel and its policies without being anti-anything. I admit that its hard for me to classify Catherine Ashton. I have carefully watched her career since be appointed to her EU foreign affairs position. I cannot remember one instance when I thought that what came out of her mouth was in anyway positive about Israel. In addition, when I found out that she was putting together a full EU foreign ministry I took issue with a number of German foreign affairs people about what the treatment of Israel might be and, as well, what that might mean for the independence of German foreign policy toward Israel. In my opinion both of my concerns still have credence. Whether I am right or wrong the fact remains that many European Jews are considering moving away from the continent because of what they feel is the rise of anti-Semitism. While I am concerned about the Jews involved, they can move to Israel or elsewhere for safety. What the effect will be for Europe is a different story. Unchecked anti-Semitism is absolutely toxic for European democracy. If it is being swept under the rug as Eldad Beck believes it is the yellow warning light is on.

COUNTING THE JEWS Over the years I've provided you with demographic numbers about Jews in the U.S. As I've pointed out, getting accurate numbers is important. Yes! National population numbers are important but for local communities their own are even more essential. Why? Because only when they know with whom they dealing can they do the planning for local services. How do they get the numbers? They call on a guy like Ira Sheskin who is, at the moment, doing a survey for the Miami Jewish community.

According to JTA, Ira Sheskin [is] the go-to man for Jewish communities that want to count their Jews, is overseeing the work. A professor of geography at the University of Miami, Sheskin is now on his 43rd Jewish federation population study, and hes got it down to a science.( FYI, A federation is the term most Jewish communities use for the overall coordinating body for all the local Jewish organizations.) He has found that subjects are much more likely to talk if the interviewer is female. Because of the unique background of Miami Jews, Sheskin has hired interviewers who speak six different languages. Those with some fluency in Judaism offer certain advantages, such as the ability to discern when a respondent has misunderstood a question about whether they keep two sets of dishes to be about kitchenware rather than Jewish observance. For the Miami survey, Sheskin has brought some of his veteran interviewers with him: Two women from Pennsylvania who have worked with him twice before and his octogenarian mother-in-law, who sits in a corner dutifully dialing numbers. His son and wife are helping out, too. When you get someone on the phone who is cooperative, its actually a very inte resting process that both the respondent and the interviewer benefit from, says Sheskin, 63, who did his first large community study in 1982, also for the Greater Miami Jewish Federation. You hear some fascinating stories in these interviews, and you rea lize how inconsistent some people are. The last time the Miami federation took a census, in 2004, it found 113,000 Jews in Miami-Dade County. A lot has happened since: Hundreds of Latin American Jewish families from Venezuela, Mexico, Argentina and elsewhere have immigrated. The economic crisis and real estate bust of 2008 hit the state hard, slowing domestic migration to Florida for several years. The Orthodox community in Miami Beach appears to have grown. Old people died. Babies were born. The change in the complexion of the population has been really dramatic, says Jacob Solomon, CEO of the Miami federation. But without hard numbers, no one knows exactly how dramatic. Thats where survey data come in. The new study, whose results are expected to be released this fall, will provide not only demographic data country of birth, age, number of children, education level, religious denomination, Jewish observance level and more but also take the pulse of community members on such issues as their emotional attachment to Israel, frequency of synagogue attendance, the importance of being Jewish to their lives and what sorts of Jewish activities they do. In all, there are 151 possible questions, culled from past surveys and refined through 15 focus groups, four federation committee meetings, and discussions between Sheskin and federation leaders. About 80 percent of the survey is identical to Miamis last one, in 2004. 5

These kinds of population surveys are meant to help Jewish agencies and institutions plan for the future. If, for example, the number of Jewish households with young children is falling in a particular city, it may put the local JCCs expansion plans on ice. A question in the Miami survey about the newspapers read by respondents is meant to help guide the federations newspaper ad spending. The goal is to get a sample size of roughly 1,800 Jews enough respondents not just for the overall picture, but also enough to learn about subgroups: Holocaust survivors, Latin Jews, Israelis, retirees, parents. In all, the calling period will probably last five weeks. Interviewers work four-hour shifts spread over 12-hour days, earning $18 per hour. Then comes the work of entering and crunching the data Sheskins interviewers record answers by hand and months of study. By fall, the survey should be ready to make news. Even if everybody doesnt respond, and even if things arent perfect, Sheskin says, you still get a pretty good idea of what the Jewish community looks like. And what it looks like determines how it should be serviced. Its as simple as that. Its the servicing thats complicated and how to fund raise to support it is even more complicated. Being Jewish, even in the U.S., is complicated.

THE IMPORTTANCE OF JORDAN One of the major players you hear little about in any discussion regarding the possibility of an Israel Palestinian peace deal is Jordan. Considering the fact that it has a more than 200 mile border with the West Bank and more than 2 million Palestinians living within its borders, it has to be considered important. So far as I can tell it isnt! One might think since Jordan as an Arab country would be happy with an Israeli Palestinian agreement. They arent! Jamal Halaby writing in an AP article notes, Israelis and Palestinians may be hugely skeptical about the U.S.-led peace negotiations their leaders have been roped into, but the Jordanians seem worried that they actually might succeed. The kingdom is already home to the largest Palestinian population outside the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and Jordanian lawmakers and others fear an accord might lead to a new influx of refugees. The kingdom, a key U.S. ally, is watching warily as Secretary of State John Kerry brokers the secretive talks. Protests have broken out, the media brims with disaster scenarios, and lawmakers have held anguished debate. "Jordan stands today at a dangerous crossroad because it will be a victim of an IsraeliPalestinian peace deal," warned tribal lawmaker Abdul-Karim Dughmi. "I do not trust Mr. 6

Kerry because his country is biased toward the Zionists and their expansionist plans to usurp the remaining Palestinian lands in the West Bank and force more Palestinian refugees onto Jordan." He spoke during the second day of a heated debate on the issue under the domed parliament chamber in the capital, Amman. At the heart of the matter is the brittle situation in Jordan itself - a monarchy that managed largely to escape the Arab Spring convulsions that have enveloped much of the region, and yet is vulnerable because of a combustible ethnic schism only complicated by the recent years' arrival of more than a half million refugees from Syria due to that country's ruinous civil war. Another half million Iraqis also live in Jordan since dictator Saddam Hussein was toppled in 2003. I do not think the Jordanians are opposed to peace. What worries them is instability in their own country. Of course, they blame their troubles on Israel but in reality Israel is their insurance policy. If it were not for the possibility of Israeli intervention if the Islamic extremists tried to take over, the King and his government would be long gone and a Syrian-like civil war would be taking place. In any case, Jordan is an important factor in Middle East peace. The Halaby piece is quite informative (though a bit biased) and well worth the time to read it. You can do that by clicking here. http://apnews.myway.com/article/20140205/DABP4S181.html

EU PARLIAMENT PRESIDENT & THE KNESSET There are those in Israel who not harbor the most positive feelings about the European Union, especially its foreign policy. Many are on the right-wing of the political spectrum. Some of that came out during a visit by EU Parliament President Martin Schulz. According to Israel Hayom, a conservative Israeli newspaper, Habayit Hayehudi ministers and MKs stormed out of European Parliament President Martin Schulz's address to the Knesset on Wednesday, after Schulz implied that Israel has a discriminatory water policy vis--vis the Palestinians. Speaking about a meeting with Palestinians in Ramallah earlier this week, Schulz said, "One of the questions these young people asked me which I found most moving -although I could not check the exact figures -- was this: how can it be that an Israeli is allowed to use 70 liters of water per day, but a Palestinian only 17?" Schulz also called Israeli settlement policy an "obstacle" to a peace deal and said Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip is "driving people to despair -- despair which in turn is being exploited by extremists." "The blockade may in fact undermine, rather than strengthen, Israel's security," Schulz asserted.

Habayit Hayehudi MK Moti Yogev stood up and interrupted Schulz's speech, saying, "How can a son of the German nation not be ashamed to quote lies he heard in Ramallah?" "Israel has been out of Gaza for a long time now, and your support of the Palestinians, who are inciting for the destruction of Israel, on the Knesset podium 70 years after the Holocaust, is chutzpah," Yogev said to Schulz. After Yogev's outburst, Habayit Hayehudi leader Naftali Bennett, along with the rest of his party's ministers and MKs, walked out of the Knesset hall. Following Schulz's speech, Culture and Sport Minister Limor Livnat (Likud) took to the podium and criticized Schulz, saying he had uttered a "vulgar lie." "When he said these things, and in German, it is no wonder that MKs and ministers objected," Livnat said. Yogev said, "It's a shame, [Schulz] is supporting those who are inciting for the extermination of the Jews." Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also took issue with Schulz's speech. "The European parliament president visited Ramallah and heard from young people he met with data about water, according to which an Israeli consumes four times as much water as a Palestinian," Netanyahu said. "But a look at the data of the water authorities of Israel and the Palestinian Authority make it clear that what he heard is not correct. The gap is significantly smaller. Schulz admitted that he did not examine the figures, but this did not stop him from making the unchecked claim." Netanyahu said Schulz had exhibited "selective hearing." Leftist parties criticized the conduct of Habayit Hayehudi. Opposition Leader Isaac Herzog (Labor) defended Schulz, calling him a "friend of Israel." "Since when are you afraid of criticism?" Herzog said to Schulz's Knesset detractors. "It's time you learn to accept criticism and stop declaring war on the entire world." Meretz leader Zehava Gal-On said, "I want to remind my friends in Habayit Hayehudi that, despite their efforts, we still live in a democratic nation, in which criticism can and should be heard, in any language. The use of the Holocaust in order to not deal with international criticism is not just repulsive, but also already very ridiculous." Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein (Likud) also admonished MKs for their behavior during Schulz's speech. "If this is how MKs act, then no one will want to appear before us and the Knesset will not fill any role in the international arena," Edelstein said. Before his speech, Schulz was greeted at the Knesset with an official welcome ceremony. 8

In his speech, Schulz said the EU had no intention of boycotting Israel. "I am of the conviction that what we need is more cooperation, not division," Schulz said. "I am a German who did not experience at first hand the atrocities of National Socialism, but the crimes committed by the Nazis were the reason I became involved in politics and their repercussions have influenced political thinking from the start, " Schulz said. "I bear the same responsibility as every other German for the mass murder perpetrated in the name of my nation." "Acting responsibly means, for us, openly acknowledging Israel's right to exist and the right of the Jewish people to live in security and peace," Schulz said. "The European Union will always stand shoulder to shoulder with Israel." Its a great shame that this sort of behavior takes place and particularly regrettable that it took place in Israels parliament. There are more effective ways to counter opinions and incorrect statistics. A shout-out might play well with certain elements in the Israeli electorate but certainly not everyone. Having said the above, the EU, and especially its Foreign Affairs chief, Catherine Ashton, is often seen as being pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel. Thats my feeling as well. The EU leadership after sounding the right notes about Israels security, normally then begins to harp on the settlements issue. This on-going, frequently below the surface hostility is not good for either party. Somehow more in the way of amelioration is needed. I hope cooler, less hostile heads can prevail. Ill leave it that.

THE PRESBYTERIANS The American Jewish community concerns itself with its standing in the overall scheme of American life. In addition, certainly since 1948, it has added to that concern the question of how Israel is supported by non-Jewish Americans. Now, as less than 2% of the total U.S. population those tasks are weighty. The organized Jewish community has expended a lot of its time and energy dealing and relating to the various Christian religious groups in the U.S. and abroad. My own organization, AJC, has staff members in New York and Jerusalem who do nothing else. For instance, an AJC leadership group recently met with Pope Francis in the Vatican in order to establish and cement a meaningful relationship with him. By and large, the Jewish community has had good working relations with Evangelical groups who make up the bulk of the Christian Zionists in the U.S. However, over the years one segment that leaned away from supporting Israel and has championed the Palestinians is the Presbyterians. Of course, not all Presbyterians lean that way but enough of a segment so that they are a strong voice in organized Presbyterian life. The Presbyterian Church (USA), at least an arm of the church, recently released a 9

study guide on Zionism. It met with a great deal of Jewish hostility. According to The Forward, Presbyterians who engage in dialogue with Jewish groups are scrambling to undo what they say is the damage caused by a congregational study guide assailing Zionism distributed by a group affiliated with their denomination. The guide, Zionism Unsettled, posits that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is fueled by a pathology inherent in Zionism and rejects theologies Christian and Jewish that uphold Zionism. Jewish groups expressed outrage at the guide released last month by the Israel/Palestine Mission Network of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). The president of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, Rabbi Steve Gutow, called the guide worthy of a hate group, not a prominent American church. Presbyterians involved in Jewish-Christian dialogue expressed dismay over the guide in equally strong terms. This document purports to be about love but it actually expresses demonization, distortion and imbalance, the Rev. Katharine Rhodes Henderson, the president of New Yorks Auburn Theological Seminary, a Presbyterian-affiliated institution, wrote in an statement issued to JTA. Some Presbyterians involved in Jewish-Christian dialogue say they are pressing the leadership of their church to renounce the study guide and plan to raise the issue at their mainline Protestant denominations General Assembly this summer. The immediate task for members of their church, many Presbyterians reached by JTA said, is to reassure Jews that the guide does not reflect the broader church. One Evangelical who was really put off by the Presbyterian study piece was Robert Nicholson. Writing in The Times of Israel he noted, Im not quite sure what Israel did to the Presbyterians, but it must have been pretty bad. Take the recent Zionism Unsettled report released by the Presbyterian Church (USA)s quasi-official Israel Palestine Mission Network. Glossy, high-color, and bundled with a nifty DVD, the report provides an invaluable guide to deeper understanding of what just might be the universes most important conflict. Its conclusion is straightforward: Zionism is the ultimate source of the worlds problems and those Jews and Christians who support Jewish sovereignty (or should I say the Zionist quest for demographic control of the land) are no better than war criminals for sanctioning Israels colonization of the Palestinian homeland. The Presbyterians who drafted this shameless polemic have one goal in mind: to sway delegates who will be attending the PC-USAs June assembly to vote in favor of divesting from Israel. A similar measure was narrowly defeated in 2012; this years vote is expected to be just as close.

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The good news for Israelis is that not all Christians, not all Protestants, not all Reformed churches, and not even all Presbyterians support this heinous initiative. Were talking about a small, albeit loud and powerful, faction within Christianity that for whatever reason has nothing better to do than to criticize the Jewish state. Saudi Arabia, China, Iran, and North Korea no doubt look on with mild amusement. The bad news is that, while the brazen anti-Israel camp in the church is small, a growing number of Christians have been stepping back their support for Israel in favor of a more balanced position that tends to castigate Jewish oppression while raising the banner of Palestinian nationalism. I have detailed the various causes underlying this new movement in a recent article entitled Evangelicals and Israel: What American Jews Dont Want to Know (but Need to). I encourage everyone, whether Christian or Jewish, to read the article and investigate whats going on. Although my Jewish readers may have little interest in a case of intraChristian squabbling, I submit that this case merits attention by anyone who believes in the necessity of preserving the State of Israel. In the meantime, Israelis should note that the Presbyterian church doesnt speak for me. It doesnt speak for lots of Christians around the world I think Ill leave it at that. The Study Guide is just another item for those of us who think Israel is important and while not every policy might please everybody, an attack on Zionism, the basis for the Jewish State is something that must be dealt with head on. HATE MAIL; WHO SENDS IT? Jews and Jewish organizations are not the only ones to get hate mail. However, antiSemitic hate mail received in Germany registers as an important issue for Jews. Its actually just as important for all Germans A most interesting study was completed last year but only reported in the English language Jewish press recently. Haaretz reports, Over months, Prof. Monika SchwarzFriesel read 14,000 letters, emails and faxes sent to the Israeli embassy in Berlin and the Central Council of Jews in Germany. She was looking for an answer to a question that had preoccupied her for some time: What does anti-Semitism look like in Germany at the start of the 21st century? I wanted to find out how modern anti-Semites think, feel and communicate, said Schwarz-Friesel, a linguistics professor at the Technical University of Berlin, in an interview with Haaretz Previous studies of anti-Semitism didnt satisfy her, nor did public opinion surveys, questionnaires or the annual reports put out by various agencies on anti-Semitic incidents round the world. I wasnt satisfied with the methodology of asking in a survey, Do you think that Jews are ..., she explained. So she decided to search for data in another source that had never before been studied 11

so systematically and comprehensively. She asked the Israeli embassy in Berlin and the local Jewish community to send her all the hate mail they received over a 10-year period, from 2002 to 2012. They gave her 14,000 letters, to which she added 2,000 letters from other Israeli embassies in Europe. Her approach to these institutions was made easier by the fact that her husband, Prof. Evyatar Friesel, once served as Israels state archivist. In the end, I had a unique collection of information that enabled me to understand how modern anti-Semites think in the 21st century, she said. Her research partner was Prof. Jehuda Reinharz, a historian and past president of Brandeis University in Massachusetts. Together with a few research assistants, they read and analyzed all the letters. We were helped by modern technology that enabled us to sort them better than in the past, Schwarz-Friesel said. Their findings were detailed in a book published in Germany last year, The Language of Hostility toward Jews in the 21st Century. Next year, it will be published in English. What they discovered is that more than 60 percent of the letters were sent by educated Germans, including university professors. The proportion sent by right-wing extremists was negligible about 3 percent. At first, we thought that most of the letters would be sent by right-wing extremists, Schwarz-Friesel said. But I was very surprised to discover that they were actually sent by people from the social mainstream professors, Ph.Ds, lawyers, priests, university and high-school students. She was also surprised to discover that most of the letter writers had no qualms about giving their names, addresses and titles. Twenty or 30 years ago, that wouldnt have happened, she said. Still another surprise was the fact that there is no significant difference between the extreme rights anti-Semitism and that of the educated mainstream. The difference is only in the style and the rhetoric, but the ideas are the same, Schwarz-Friesel noted. It is possible that the murder of innocent children suits your long tradition? on e letter said. For the last 2,000 years, youve been stealing land and committing genocide, said another. You Israelis ... shoot cluster bombs over populated areas and accuse people who criticize such actions of anti-Semitism. Thats typical of the Jews! declared a third. Certain key phrases kept cropping up in letter after letter. For instance, many letters sent to the Central Council of Jews in Germany said, The Jews are doing to the Palestinians exactly what the Nazis did to the Jews. 12

Schwarz-Friesels training as a linguist helped her identify anti-Semitic motifs even in letters that at first glance seemed innocent. An opening such as Im not an anti -Semite, but ... is liable to be a substitute for a general statement about Jewish traits, w hich in itself has anti-Semitic elements. About 80 percent of the hate mail was anti-Israel. Surveying these letters led SchwarzFriesel to an unambiguous conclusion: Today, its already impossible to distinguish between anti-Semitism and anti-Israelism. Modern anti-Semites have turned the Jewish problem into the Israeli problem. They have redirected the final solution from the Jews to the State of Israel, which they see as the embodiment of evil. The studys bottom line is gloomy. Anti-Semitism is embedded very deeply in Western society, even after the Holocaust, all the learning of its lessons and the memorialization, Schwarz-Friesel said. For 2,000 years, they fashioned the image of the Jews as the enemy of Christianity and of humanity. Thats not a simple thing that can be erased in 60 years. Its etched too deeply into the collective memory. Thus people who see themselves as humanists and are familiar with the lessons of the Holocaust permit themselves to express themselves in an anti-Semitic fashion even afterward. Now, Schwarz-Friesel is busy with a new study of modern anti-Semitism on the Internet. It hasnt been confined to extreme right-wing sites for a long time now, she said. Its also on fairly ordinary sites. I dont usually get over excited about academic studies. However, in this case antiSemitism coming from the pens of educated Germans is troubling. The mixing up of anti-Israel and antic-Semitic thinking is, of course, nothing new. However, its depressing to see so much of it from the highly educated. Im not sure there is much that can actually be done about it. Widespread education doesnt seem to do the trick. That has been tried for the last 50 years without much result. Anti-Semitism is like tuberculosis. It can be arrested but lies hidden in the body to be given new life when the proper situation activates it. It is well known that unhappiness with some Israeli policies trigger off anti-Semitism. Of course, not everyone who has questions about Israels policies is anti-Semitic. Many Jews dont like some of the policies as well. However, Israel does provide those that have negative feelings about Jews to hide those feelings and clothe them in political terms. There is really nothing anybody can do about that sort of thing except point it out and hope that people will question their own feelings. I believe that even when Israel makes a peace arrangement with the Palestinians (They will someday) the anti-Semitism surrounding the question will find another outlet or the feeling of not good enough will emerge. If you have any thoughts you have on the matter I would happy to hear from you. Please drop me a note at dubowdigest@optonline.net 13

*********************************************************************************************** See you again in March DuBow Digest is written and published by Eugene DuBow who can be reached at dubowdigest@optonline.net Both the American and Germany editions are posted at www.dubowdigest.typepad.com

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