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NEWS
Report Shows in 2009 Western Europe Posted Highest Number of Antisemitic Incidents Since World War II
By Y. Sheinfeld
The past year has brought a significant increase in the number of antisemitic incidents in Western Europe along with a rise in violent acts against Jews, according to the annual report of the Forum for Countering Antisemitism presented this week by Jewish Agency Chairman Natan Sharansky.
The report was released in advance of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, designated by the U.N. to be held on January 27, the day of the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp. On hand at the press conference were Diaspora Affairs Minister Yuli Edelstein and Amos Hermon, who heads the Jewish Agency's campaign against antisemitism.
According to the report, 2009 had the highest number of antisemitic incidents in Western Europe since World War II.
In the first three months of the year, during and after Operation Cast Lead, more antisemitic incidents were recorded in Western Europe than in all of 2008. The increase was especially sharp in France, where 631 incidents were reported in the first half of the year compared to 474 in all of 2008, and in Britain, where more than 600 incidents took place. Some 100 antisemitic incidents occurred in the Netherlands during the first two months of the year, compared to a similar number in all of 2008.
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