World Jewish News

President of European body promises support to act against anti-Semitism.

Public figures or political parties making anti-Semitic statements should be prosecuted the Council of Europe's parliamentary assembly said last Wednesday.
In a resolution adopted in Strasbourg after a debate on combating anti-Semitism in Europe, the Council also stated that public financing for anti-Semitic groups blocked and states sponsoring Holocaust-denial firmly condemned.
The parliamentarians also called for the fostering of inter-faith dialogue and a more inclusive teaching of history and religions as well as urging the media to take care in their handling of potentially anti-Semitic stereotype.
The assembly, which gathered MPs from the 47 member states of the Council of Europe, a body mainly active on human rights issues, said it regrets that the Middle East conflict has had an impact on the growth of anti-Semitism in Europe.
Although it is not the sole cause, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict continues to fuel anti-Semitic violence in Europe. This is especially the case among immigrants in European cities.
"This new form of anti-Semitism is a reason for angry reaction among the majority of the population and will cause hatred against immigrants in general, thereby inducing xenophobia," the resolution said.
Rabbinical gathering
The President of the assembly, Dutchman René van der Linden, promised his support to act against anti-Semitism in Europe and to enhance legislation for the protection of cemeteries.
He made the pledge during a meeting with members of the Rabbinical Center of Europe (RCE) which organized a conference on anti-Semitism and on protection of Europe's religious heritage at the Council of Europe's premises in Strasbourg.
The conference was attended by rabbis from across western, central and eastern Europe. The main topic discussed was the need to initiate a more vigorous stance on anti-vandalism laws in order to protect Jewish cemeteries and other religious sites from racist acts.
Van der Linden said acting against anti-Semitism is not only by legislation but also by education in order to help younger generations of Europeans to learn and understand that the horrors of the past must never be repeated.
Thomas Hanmarberg, head of the parliamentary assembly's human rights committee, said the new generation, which never experienced the Holocaust, must be educated into taking positive action. "Only then will Europe see positive results," he said.
Dayan Yisroel Yaacov Lichtenstein, head of a rabbinical court in London, expressed his pain that, while 62 years have passed since the Nazi empire fell, anti-Semitism "still flourishes".
"With the support of the Council of Europe, human rights can be enforced for all Europe's citizens," he added.
The Brussels-based Rabbinical Center of Europe provides supports to some 1,000 rabbis across Europe.

Источник: jewish.ru