Euro-asian jewish congress

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A favorable legislation and actions to combat anti-Semitism and the denial of the Holocaust existance
Anti-Semitic signs and actions
Anti-Semitic movements and incidents
Plans for the future

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POLAND

Anti-Semitic incidents reported to the Public Prosecutor’s Office, the Police
and other authorities by the Foundation for the Preservation of Jewish Heritage in Poland in 2008

	Place of Incident	Date of Incident	Description	Stage of Investigation
1.	Leżajsk	March 4/5, 2008	Devastation of an ohel at the Jewish cemetery: the building was covered with anti-Semitic graffiti.	In April 2008, the Police arrested the perpetrator who is currently facing trial before the Leżajsk Court.
2.	Łabiszyn	March 2008 (exact date unknown)	Four gravestones were stolen from the Jewish cemetery.	The investigation conducted by the District Police in Żnin was discontinued on April 11, 2008 as no perpetrators had been identified.
3.	Rymanów	May 22, 2008	The windows of the synagogue were smashed during a visit by an American Jewish group.	The investigation conducted by the District Police in Krosno was discontinued on July 7, 2008 as no perpetrators had been identified.
4.	Koronowo	July 2008 (exact date unknown)	Devastation of the Jewish cemetery: a gravestone was damaged	On July 10, 2008 the Foundation reported the incident to the District Police in Koronowo.
5.	Kłodzko	Probably July 2008	Devastation of graves in the Jewish cemetery.	The Foundation reported the incident to the Unit for the Monitoring of Racism and Xenophobia at the Ministry of the Interior and Administration.
6.	Lublin	August 2008 (exact date unknown)	Propagation of anti-Semitism in “Biuletyn”, a magazine edited by an inhabitant of Lublin and distributed to local city councilors.	The Foundation reported the case the the Unit for the Monitoring of Racism and Xenophobia at the Ministry of the Interior and Administration.
7.	Brzeziny	September 3, 2008	Devastation of the Jewish cemetery: a gravestone was covered with an anti-Semitic slogan.	The investigation conducted by the District Police in Brzeziny was discontinued on September 30, 2008 as no perpetrators had been identified.

ROMANIA

The new development of anti-Semitism and its quick “globalization”, after so little time – (on a historical scale) – passed since the Holocaust, is a serious problem.

We have to admit that this phenomenon can be found in Romania, even if there are less than 8.000 Jews living in the country today, by comparison with the 800.000 from before the Second World War (at the level of the Romanian territory of the time).

Naturally, today’s Romania defends the European democracy, by a policy of mutual respect among peoples, implicitly fighting against xenophobia, racism and anti-Semitism. There is an essential difference from the period between the two World Wars, when the antidemocratic trends were very presents, with strong accents of xenophobia, racism and anti-Semitism.

Our country is a democracy today, and three State Presidents officially acknowledged the Holocaust.

There is no ethnic or religious barrier for the activities of the national minorities, including the Jews, who are active in political, economical, social and cultural life.

The Jewish community, as the other minorities officially acknowledged by the Romanian State, has a representative in the Parliament. At the recent parliamentary elections (November 30, 2008), there was applied the new law of the uninominal vote and the candidate of the Federation of Jewish Communities received four times more votes than the number of Jews who had the right to vote, and who live in Romania.

Moreover, we have to mention that the party having a nationalistic, extremist ideology, and which frequently sends anti-Semitic, xenophobic messages, did not succeed to acquire enough votes so as to be represented in the Parliament.

A favorable legislation and actions to combat anti-Semitism and the denial of the Holocaust existance

By law 107/2006 which forbids fascist, racist and xenophobic organizations and symbols, as well as the promotion of a cult for those having been found guilty of actions against peace and humanity, Romania is one of the European countries having built a proper legislative framework for the fight against racism, xenophobia and anti-Semitism.

This was the first step. We think that it is very necessary to develop programs for the training of the staff from the police and justice, so as to get expertise on the “hate criminality”.

On May 6, 2008, the Supreme Tribunal has invalidated a decision of the Court of Appeal from December 2006, that would have partially pardoned Marshall Antonescu and some of his collaborators who were condemned for war crimes.

After the Rapport de la Commission for the Study of the Holocaust in Romania – Elie Wiesel (2004), every October 9, we commemorate the Holocaust that happened in Romania.

In 2008, the commemoration was very ample. There was a solemn meeting in the Chamber of Deputies, of October 8. The Deputy of the Jewish population, Dr. Aurel Vainer, together with Mr. Liviu Beris, presented important materials of the Holocaust in Romania. The President of the Chamber of Deputies, as well as representatives of all the parties included in the Parliament, held speeches and expressed their point of view on the Holocaust.

On this occasion, a book called “Dignity in times of hardships” was launched and there were other cultural and artistic activities as well.

On October 9, 2006, together with the Romanian President, Mr. Traian Băsescu, we founded the Memorial of the Holocaust in Bucharest. At present, we are preparing to build this Memorial.

Every year, we commemorate the pogrom of January 1941, that took place in Bucharest.

Anti-Semitic signs and actions

Unfortunately, we saw and do see even today things that hurt us.

We can still find new signs of the racist, intolerant past on the walls of the synagogues or of the communal buildings.

Sometimes, the media publishes articles that deny the existence of the Holocaust, making an appeal for the beginning of acts of violence or threatening to perform “a real, guaranteed Holocaust, with documents”.

Also, there are some publishing houses (“Obiectiv – Craiova”, ,,Carpathia Rex”, etc.) that publish mainly anti-Jewish books, almost all of them being based on the “theory of the universal conspiracy”, new editions of the old fake “The Protocols of the Sages of Zion”. These books are filled with hatred and they send hatred.

The anti-Semitic books of the period between the two World Wars are published once again.

Anti-Semitic movements and incidents

There is a renewal of the “Legionary Movement” which had a deeply anti-Semitic ideology and behavior between the two World Wars. Its two factions develop the same policy at present. Their journals continue to send xenophobic, antidemocratic ideas.

Another formation, “The New Right”, having a similar ideology to the legionary one, and having mainly young members, is spreading its totalitarian ideas on the Internet. Among other activities, they organize summer camps transformed into training camps.

Among anti-Semitic actions, a special place is taken by the desecration of Jewish cemeteries. This stage is the transformation of hatred into felony. On October 22, 2008, 131 tomb monuments of the Giurgiului cemetery from Bucharest were destroyed. This is very serious.

Certain authorities have a tendency to minimize the meaning of this type of incidents, explaining them as actions committed by drunkards, insane persons or children. In the case of October 22, 2008, one can see the same tendency of blaming children or teenagers. If we are to accept this explanation, there are still many questions left to answer. These children, what do they learn? Who told them to do such a thing? What is their source of inspiration? Their educators, what do they tell to these new barbarians? Their parents, what do they have to say about this? Are they proud of their children’s victory upon the tombstones?

We all know how important it is to express ourselves. Still, we know very well that not only bullets kill. Words kill, just like lies and manipulation by words.

Finding a democratic solution in order to solve matters linked to the right of free expression (and also to the necessary limits) is, in fact, finding a mechanism so that freedom will not be the cause of destruction of freedom.

The fight against anti-Semitism

Lately, when focusing on the events in the Gaza Strip, one can see an intensification of the anti-Israeli propaganda. There is an excessive, repeated presentation of the civilian victims, often forgetting to refer to the causes of the confrontation, or to the fact that Hamas uses women and children as human shields.

Given this situation, let me underline that the Romanian Government took a series of measures so as to increase the level of security of communal locations.

In this period of time, the Jewish organizations from Romania gathered together and wrote a press release by which they expressed their solidarity with the defensive action of the State of Israel (a copy of the press release is attached).

We also expressed our position in interviews at radio and TV stations. In our interventions, we presented the real situation in the area and the responsibility of the Hamas terrorist organization for the regrettable loss of innocent lives.

On January 18, 2009, the “Gaza 2009 Event Debate” took place, having been attended by a series of well-known and appreciated Romanian personalities (commentators, journalists, political analysts). Also, the representatives of the Jewish organizations presented their message of solidarity with the State of Israel. The debate was interactive and was broadcast live on Internet.

In the end, a “Declaration of Solidarity with the State of Israel” was adopted (attached document).

A private central TV station organized a large debate on the events from Gaza. It was attended by FEDROM’s President, together with Israeli businessmen and managers who are active in Romania. They presented the founded reasons for which the Israeli Government performed this defense action in Gaza.

Certainly, these things are concerning the Jewish population a lot, and the Federation of Jewish Communities of Romania, together with the Deputy of this minority in the Parliament, react by urging the media and the public authorities to take the necessary measures.

In the same time, our actions against anti-Semitism are focused on mutual knowledge, as a main means to get mutual respect.

From this point of view, we have to mention:

- having invited many personalities from the majority or from other minorities at our cultural events and commemorations;

- participating in national and international events, as well as presenting our cultural and artistic accomplishments, as a means to send messages of friendship to other peoples (Sibiu – EuroJudaica; Proethnica – Sighişoara);

- granting a special importance to the relations with other religions, mainly with the Orthodox and Catholic Churches, focusing on mutual respect;

- the activity of the Committee for the Fight Against anti-Semitism, supported by the Federation (and which includes Jews and gentiles). In collaboration with several organizations, this Committee is also involved in seminars focused on the formation of the teachers who develop the optional course on the Holocaust;

- conferences of the survivors in front of pupils and students (over one hundred);

- editing books about the Holocaust, distributed free of charge to school libraries by the Association of Survivors, as well as organizing competitions on the Holocaust;

- the presentation of the Righteous among the Nations as models to follow; also, the collaboration at the monument dedicated to the memory of Traian Popovici, on October 17, 2008. This man had a great contribution to the rescue of thousands of Jews;

- the participation in organized debates at television and radio, focusing on the fight against the denial of the Holocaust and against anti-Semitism;

- the high level and content of the Jewish Reality – a magazine edited by the Federation of Jewish Communities of Romania;

These are only a few aspects of our activity.

Plans for the future

Keeping in mind the danger embodied by the new development of anti-Semitism, the Federation also wishes to:

- make an appeal to the other religions, to the most important NGOs, to those who have a say in the education of the youth, so that the latter will be involved in the fight against the bias and stereotypes related to Jews;

- send petitions to the authorities, so as to fight every anti-Semitic slogan and action, no matter of shape and place; following them and telling the public opinion about how they were solved;

- be in a direct contact with institutions of higher education (State or private) so as to insert in their curricula a series of conferences, seminars and debates of the fight against discrimination, xenophobia and anti-Semitism in faculties having a socio-human profile (history, law, philosophy, sociology, police, journalism, theology and others);

- to initiate contacts with the Public Ministry, the Ministry of Administration and Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Justice and the Superior Council of Magistracy, so as to create together some proper means of dialogue on hate criminality.

We are sure that the discussions at the EJC Extraordinary General Assembly, as well as the reports of the other delegations will improve the means to fight anti-Semitism en Romania.

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