Red Lines Follow-Up, Iceland

May 17, 2019

Eja director of public affairs was meeting the director of human rights at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and representatives from the human rights ministry in Reykjavík this morning to discuss Jewish red lines with a particular focus on recent Icelandic parliamentary efforts to outlaw and criminalise Brit Milah (male circumcision).
In an open and frank dialogue, it was clear that circumcision is very much an alien concept to Icelandic people, but there is no Antisemitic motivation behind it. It is just not on their radar whatsoever. When Alex explained that nonetheless such legislation can be used as an enabling tool by those who espouse antisemitism they were receptive to this message. There is more work needed with political parties to get this message through, but it was a good start with Icelandic government officials.

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Czech Interior Ministry, Prague City Hall scrap deals with publisher of Third Reich Nazi calendar

The Czech Interior Ministry has cancelled a storage space rental contract with the Naše vojsko publishing house
Prague, May 26 (CTK) – The Czech Interior Ministry has abrogated its storage space rent contract with the Naše vojsko publishing house that issued a calendar with portraits of the Third Reich protagonists, Foreign Minister Tomáš Petříček told CTK after meeting Israeli ambassador Daniel Meron today.
Such items have no place in Czech shops, he said.
The publisher faces a criminal complaint by Michal Klima, the head of the Holocaust Victims Foundation, and another one is being prepared by the Czech Jewish Communities’ Federation (FZO).
FZO chairman Petr Papoušek said the FZO considers not only the calendar’s appearance but also its graphic design a step promoting Nazism and adoring its leaders who were Nazi war criminals.
Petříček (Social Democrats, CSSD) said that Meron showed interest in the case at their talks today.
“I told him that a criminal complaint has already been filed and that the Interior Ministry has terminated its contract for renting storage premises to the publisher. Such items have nothing to do among the Czech shops’ offer. They downplay the horrors of the Nazi regime and especially for Israel it must be sad to see them,” Petříček wrote to CTK.
Apart from Meron, the calendar was previously also criticized by the German ambassador to the Czech Republic.
The Denik N daily recently found out that the Interior Ministry has rented storage premises to the publisher via its subordinate organisation. It has abrogated the contract as of June 30, Denik N wrote this morning, citing Interior Minister Jan Hamáček (CSSD).
A contract with Naše vojsko has also been terminated by the Prague City Hall, which rented shopping space to it.
The city abrogated the contract by end-April, and the publisher has six months to leave the premises.
“We do not want our premises to host entrepreneurs whose business is definitely beyond the limit in terms of ethic,” Prague Councillor Jan Chabr (TOP 09) wrote to CTK.
Naše vojsko director Emerich Drtina said at the time that as a publisher he does not offer the items for sale with the aim of propaganda but in order to make profit.
The article was posted on the expatsCZ 

300 French personalities sign manifesto against 'new anti-Semitism'

More than 300 French dignitaries and stars have signed a manifesto denouncing a “new anti-Semitism” marked by “Islamist radicalisation” after a string of killings of Jews, to be published in Le Figaro newspaper Sunday.

The country’s half-a-million-plus Jewish community is the largest in Europe but has been hit by a wave of emigration to Israel in the past two decades, partly due to the emergence of virulent anti-Semitism in predominantly immigrant neighbourhoods.
“We demand that the fight against this democratic failure that is anti-Semitism becomes a national cause before it’s too late. Before France is no longer France,” reads the manifesto co-signed by politicians from the left and right including ex-president Nicolas Sarkozy and celebrities like actor Gerard Depardieu.
The signatories condemned what they called a “quiet ethnic purging” driven by rising Islamist radicalism particularly in working-class neighbourhoods.
They also accused the media of remaining silent on the matter.
“In our recent history, 11 Jews have been assassinated — and some tortured — by radical Islamists because they were Jewish,” the declaration said.
The murders referenced reach as far back as 2006 and include the 2012 deadly shooting of three schoolchildren and a teacher at a Jewish school by Islamist gunman Mohammed Merah in the southwestern city of Toulouse.
Three years later, an associate of the two brothers who massacred a group of cartoonists at satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo killed four people in a hostage-taking at a Jewish supermarket in Paris.
In April 2017, an Orthodox Jewish woman in her sixties was thrown out of the window of her Paris flat by a neighbour shouting “Allahu Akhbar” (God is greatest).
The latest attack to rock France took place last month when two perpetrators stabbed an 85-year-old Jewish woman 11 times before setting her body on fire, in a crime treated as anti-Semitic.
Her brutal death sent shockwaves through France and prompted 30,000 people to join a march in her memory.
Condemning the “dreadful” killing, President Emmanuel Macron had reiterated his determination to fighting anti-Semitism.
“French Jews are 25 times more at risk of being attacked than their fellow Muslim citizens,” according to the manifesto.
It added that some 50,000 Jews had been “forced to move because they were no longer in safety in certain cities and because their children could no longer go to school”.
The article was published in The Local

The EJA will start the second half of our delegation to Auschwitz.

This upcoming segment will focus on a visit to the Auschwitz Concentration Camp, where a guided tour will be conducted.
A memorial ceremony and the recitation of the Kaddish prayer will be integral parts of this event, emphasising the EJA’s commitment to reflection and remembrance of the tragedy involved during the holocaust.
#NeverAgainIsNow #NotInMyWatch #EJAAuschwitz2024

Juan Caldes Addresses NNGG from Partido Popular: Strengthening Bonds through Pro-Jewish Advocacy and Youth Engagement

We’re excited to share that Juan Caldes had the opportunity to address NNGG from the Partido Popular and share insights on the current situation in Israel. Gratitude abounds for their warm invitation and the chance to engage with their youth movement. Heartfelt thanks for the support during these challenging times.

This collaboration exemplifies the vital role of pro-Jewish advocacy in fostering dialogue and understanding. Through advocacy efforts, bridges are built, enabling us to share perspectives and create connections across diverse communities.

Looking forward to continued partnerships that strengthen bonds and promote mutual understanding.

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