Swedish Editorial on Anti-Semitism

Hat tip Expressen (Sweden). Translation by Fousesquawk.

Today's online edition of Swedish newspaper, Expressen, is running a staff editorial decrying the explosion of anti-Semitism both in Sweden and the rest of Europe in relation to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

 https://www.expressen.se/ledare/judehatet-kommer-som-ett-brev-pa-posten/

Jew-hatred comes as a letter in the mail

May 218, 2021 

Caption beneath photo: Anti-Semitism always flares up when the Israeli-Palestinian conflict intensifies.

Jew-hatred again shows its ugly mug in the tracks of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. There must be zero tolerance for this abomination.

They are scenes that many never thought they would have to see in Germany again given the country's history. In cities like Bonn, Dusseldorf, Muenster, and Gelsenkirchen last week, mobs of young men gathered outside synagogues and burned Israeli flags, threw rocks, and chanted, "shit-Jews".

In Dusseldorf, a fire was set on top of a monument to a synagogue that was burned down during "Kristallnacht" in 1938. Similar incidents have taken place in other locations in our vicinity. In Essex in Great Britain, a rabbi was beaten recently outside his synagogue.

Also in Sweden, anti-Semitism has come to the surface in the face of fighting between Israel and Hamas. Jewish congregations in Stockholm and Gothenburg testify to growing hate against their members. Children and youths gave been verbally attacked in the schools. On social media, they have  been met with hateful comments, such as, "your parents would have been gassed."

Journalist Negar Josephi has, in the past few days, reported on how Jew-hatred flows freely in the hyped audio sound chat room, Clubhouse. That ended with her being herself threatened with death.

It is shocking testimony, but, unfortunately, not surprising. Waves of Jew-hatred come like a letter in the mail every time the Israeli-Palestinian conflict flares up again. Depending on what happens in the Middle East, Jews in Sweden must consider things like whether to wear the Star of David or not, whether they dare go to the synagogue or not, and so on.

It is more than unacceptable. It is disgusting.

All are free to stand in solidarity with the Palestinians' hardships- and also to give a thought to the misery that affects many in daily life under the rule of Hamas and Fatah. But there is absolutely no reason to allow this commitment to turn into hate against Jews in Sweden.

It is obvious that Sweden has failed on this point, even if we are far from alone in this. A new report from Malmö, shows how the conflict constantly spills over to daily life in school. Schools are perceived as unsafe and marked by anti-Semitic language, often normalized as a rash of jokes.

Stockholm has just decided to do a similar survey of anti-Semitism in the schools of the capital city. It is a first-rate initiative.

Schools must be a place characterized by zero tolerance for anti-Semitism. To succeed in that, teachers and school administrators must be given the tools they need in the form of knowledge and clear procedures when they encounter Jew-hatred connected to the Middle East conflict.

Nor can Sweden compromise on security for Jewish institutions. Over the years, the issue has been taken more seriously in the large cities, but the vulnerability is still great in smaller cities like Umeå, Lund, och Norrköping. 

That Jews have to feel worry and fear in today's Sweden is nothing else than a great failure.

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Fousesquawk comment: While I applaud the editors of Expressen for this piece, I have to note once again that they fail to say who the perpetrators of this new anti-Semitism are in Europe. You pretty much have to read between the lines to realize that these acts are being carried out mostly by Middle East immigrants, and yes-predominantly Muslims.

This is not to deny that Sweden has traditionally favored the Palestinian side. So it reasonably follows that some Swedes are, in fact, also anti-Semitic. After all, anti-Semitism has infected every society with the possible exception of head-hunters in Borneo. The former mayor of Malmö, Ilmar Reepalu, comes to mind. He literally did not care that his city's Jews were being harassed by Muslim migrants because he perceived them to be pro-Israel. (Reepalu was born in Estonia, if that is a factor.)

Having said that, I don't believe that Swedes, in general, are intolerant people. I have visited the country three times and have taken the time and effort to learn Swedish. The country has a reputation for being tolerant, but it is no virtue to tolerate intolerance by others in the name of tolerance itself.

Nor do I want to give the impression that all Muslims and Arabs living in Sweden are anti-Semites. I certainly don't want to see innocent Muslims in Sweden or anywhere else in the West treated in the manner that Jews are being treated today. For example, mosques should not be the site for pro-Israel protests-as synagogues are being targeted for anti-Israel protests. To date, I am unaware of any mosque being targeted for a pro-Israel demonstration. 

But if we are going to truly fight this "imported anti-Semitism" that we see growing in the West, we must name the perps-all of them, no matter who they are. If they are white Europeans or white nationalist Americans or Canadians, we must name them. If they are Muslims or some other minority, we must also name them. We must also speak openly about who accounts for the most anti-Semitism in our societies, and each community must work to eliminate it.

We should not have to read between the lines to figure out who the perpetrators are and from where the threat is coming.