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Rabbis fear Europe’s Jews next after minaret ban
“We don’t have a situation of the extreme right in Europe attacking Jews because they are content to attack Muslims,” he said. “But the Swiss example is classic: it’s not just Muslims who are going to be targeted by the extreme right.” Swiss voters approved a ban on building new minarets in a referendum, defying the government and parliament which had rejected the right-wing initiative as violating the Swiss constitution, freedom of religion and a cherished tradition of tolerance.
Speaking after the conference ended, Carmel said any movement towards xenophobia or extreme nationalist sentiment was “bad for Jews,” adding, “The growth of the far right legitimizes xenophobic opinion.”
The conference, which represents over 800 rabbis in more than 40 countries, was concerned that Jews might be the next targets of a rise in right-wing sentiment aroused by the minaret ban, he said.
The rabbis met in Moscow at the historic Choral Synagogue, scene of protests by Jews during the Soviet years when so many KGB agents stood inside that worshippers preferred to meet on the street outside. The building has been restored. Rabbis said they were delighted by the revival of Jewish life in Russia since the collapse of the Soviet Union, where their faith was relentlessly persecuted, leading to an exodus of tens of thousands.
They said the growth of Muslim extremism in Western Europe’s capitals was making life difficult for Jewish communities there. Jonasan Abraham, a London rabbi, said it was “tragic to think that it’s safer now to walk the streets of Moscow as a Jew than in many Western European capitals where you feel hostility.”
In some European cities, Jews were living under tight security at schools and synagogues because of the threat from Islamic fundamentalists, the rabbis said.
“You can’t talk about the Holocaust in certain classrooms because the Muslim children will stand and complain about why it is being discussed,” Carmel said.
The rabbis called for European governments to combat Muslim extremism by making a commitment not to engage in dialogue with fundamentalist organizations and their representatives. “Because of the lack of structure of umbrella Muslim groups, politicians have a tendency to prefer dialogue with those who seem to be the loudest but they are not necessarily representative,” Carmel said.
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