Anti-Semitism Rising, State Dept. Says

"WASHINGTON - A rise in the number of Muslims in Western Europe, many of them poor and uneducated, is contributing to an increase in deeply rooted anti-Semitism there, the State Department said in a report to Congress.

Far-right groups still account for a significant proportion of attacks on Jews and Jewish property, the report said.

In eastern Europe, skinheads and other members of the radical political fringe are responsible for most anti-Semitic incidents, according to the report, obtained Tuesday by The Associated Press.

In Russia, Belarus and elsewhere in the former Soviet Union, anti-Semitism remained a serious problem, with most incidents carried out by ultra-nationalists and other far-right elements, according to the report.

"The stereotype of Jews as manipulators of the global economy continues to provide fertile grounds for anti-Semitic aggression," said the report to the Senate and House foreign relations committees.

Rep. Tom Lantos (news, bio, voting record), D-Calif., who pushed for annual State Department reports and for close monitoring through a new office in the department, welcomed the first global report on anti-Semitism.

"It is only a beginning," said Lantos, the senior Democrat on the House committee. "The department must act quickly to appoint an advocate of substantial rank and experience to coordinate our government's response to the current outbreak of anti-Semitic violence."

The report, which covers the period between July 2003 and December 2004, gave no worldwide totals but did include statistics provided by some countries.

There are dwindling Jewish populations in North Africa and the Middle East, except for Israel, and there are few incidents involving Jews who remain in those areas. But Syria condones and supports "a virulent domestic anti-Semitism" as government-supported media demonize Israel and its leaders, the report said.

Beyond Europe and the Middle East "there are also worrying expressions" of anti-Semitism, the report said.

In Pakistan, where there is no Jewish community, anti-Semitic sentiment fanned by press articles is widespread, the report said. Anti-Semitism where there are virtually no Jews is a recent phenomenon, the State Department told Congress.

In Europe, where millions of Jews died in the Holocaust, anti-Semitic acts have increased both in frequency and severity since 2000, the report said.

The sense of safety and security of Jewish communities has been disrupted, the report said.

Contributing to the trend, the report said, is a rising Muslim population with "long-standing antipathy toward both Israel and Jews" as well as developments in Israel, the occupied territories and Iraq (news - web sites).

In Europe and other regions of the world, many governments have become increasingly aware of anti-Semitism and have spoken against it. Countries such as France, Belgium and Germany have taken effective measures to combat anti-Semitism and have increased protection for Jewish communities and Jewish properties, the report said.

Abraham H. Foxman, national director of the Anti-Defamation League, said the United States should be applauded for its leadership in recognizing the reality of the problem, which he called the old anti-Semitism and the newly Muslim extremist-engendered anti-Semitism.

"It is forthright in recognizing the changing nature and threat of anti-Semitism, its connection, and its virulent demonization of Israel and Zionists," Foxman said in a statement.

And, he said, the United States is more direct in linking anti-Semitism to an increase in Muslim extremists in Europe and not to the Arab-Israeli conflict."

Very troubling and more proof that we are not as progressive as we would like to think we are.