Italy

“I call on the Foundazione to remove all of the elements of this installation. Linking the themes of money and power to Jews and Israel is pure antisemitism, however artful it professes to be,” EJA Chairman Rabbi Menachem Margolin. 

(Brussels 13 September) A number of Jewish and Israeli visitors to the Fondazione Prada in Venice have been left offended at an exhibition with clear antisemitic undertones that is on display.

The Fondazione is exhibiting an installation by Christoph Büchel, entitled “Monte di Pietà” which, according to the Fondazione “is a deep dive into the notion of debt as the root of human society and the primary vehicle by which political and cultural power is exercised.”

The installation includes documents, historical and contemporary artworks related to property history, credit and finance. Amongst these are previously classified documents from the British Government relating to ‘war bonds’ loaned to the then state of Palestine, there are also two bags of cement with Hebrew writing on them amid mangled concrete, and a monitor displaying images of the Gaza and Lebanese borders, as well as Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, behind this monitor is a postcard in Hebrew with Lord Balfour’s head, and the November date in which the Balfour declaration was signed.

The Brussels-based European Jewish Association, that represents hundreds of Jewish Communities across the continent, and which is actively engaged in combatting antisemitism, was made aware of the content by numerous sources – all Jewish – who felt that the exhibition had all the hallmarks of antisemitism, and rehashed tropes of powerful Jews, and that the concrete suggested that Israel was profiting from destruction. Those who saw the exhibition also felt that that the war bonds documents and the Balfour postcard suggested the exhibition sought to link the creation of the State of Israel as a sordid, secret and financial matter.

The Chairman of the European Jewish Association, Rabbi Menachem Margolin said today in a statement,

“The parts of this installation that bring Israel into focus are clearly suggesting that Jews and Israelis have the money and the power, and that any wars whether Gaza, Lebanon or in the creation of the state of Israel have all been to the Jewish financial interest.

“This installation, however subtle it may try to be, is simply rehashing some of the oldest antisemitic tropes. What makes this particular installation even more sinister is that it attempts to wrap these tropes under the mantle of “art”, for people to stop and consider and ponder. It seeks to convey an idea that is antisemitic at its very root, in the same one that one stops and absorbs a famous painting.

“This is extremely dangerous and irresponsible given the record rises of antisemitism as a result of the October 7^th Massacre and the ongoing war in Gaza.  

“I cannot understand how the Fondazione Prada failed to see the clear antisemitic tropes on display in this installation. Whether they did or did not is neither here nor there, every Jew and Israeli who saw the installation knew exactly what it was conveying because we have seen it throughout our history.

“I call on the Foundazione to remove all of the elements of this installation. Linking the themes of money and power to Jews and Israel is pure antisemitism, however artful it professes to be.”

Ends

The Jewish Community of Florence (Firenze) is one of Europe’s oldest and most historically significant Jewish communities, dating back over 900 years. The community was formally established in the 15th century and has played a key role in the region’s religious, cultural, and economic life. Over the centuries, the community endured various challenges, including restrictions and expulsions, especially during times of plague and political upheaval.

Despite these difficulties, the community flourished, particularly under the protection of the Medici family. In the modern era, following emancipation in the 19th century, the Jews of Florence gained full citizenship, leading to the construction of the city’s iconic Great Synagogue in 1882, which remains a central hub for Jewish life today​(

The Jewish Community of Florence continues to serve the city and the surrounding Jewish populations in Pisa, Livorno, and Siena.

The Trieste Jewish Community is an active and vibrant organisation that serves the Jewish population of Trieste, Italy. It is dedicated to preserving and promoting Jewish heritage, culture, and religious practices.

The community organises regular religious services, educational programmes, cultural events, and social activities. It also provides support and assistance to its members, including social services and welfare aid. Additionally, the community is involved in interfaith dialogue and outreach, fostering understanding and cooperation with other religious and cultural groups in the region.

Through its diverse activities, the Trieste Jewish Community aims to strengthen Jewish identity and continuity while contributing to the broader societal fabric.

On Monday, EIPA held a press briefing in Rome with Prof. Uzi Rabi, one of Israel’s leading Middle East scholars and Iran experts.

Prof. Rabi’s briefing gave detailed insight into the current trends of shifting Middle East alliances catalysed primarily by:

(1) Iran’s alliances and hegemonic aspirations; 

(2) future consolidation, projected takeover and extremist radicalisation of power in the post-Ayatollah Chameini era in the Islamic Republic by extremist factions controlled by Chameini’s son (Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei) together with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps; 

(3) Iran’s enablement of Hamas and Hezbollah in Israel’s multifront war (Gaza and the Lebanese border), Russia in its offence against Ukraine, militant groups in Iraq and Syria, etc. – all of which serve to prolong regional wars; 

(4) the tightrope balancing act that Middle Eastern states are playing in the jostling of diplomatic power between the United States and China; 

(5) Iranian activities in the drug trade in places as far away as Colombia and Venezuela and how all of this is influencing the jostling of alliances in the greater Middle East.

Professor Uzi Rabi is Principal Researcher and Head of the Regional Cooperation Programme at the Moshe Dayan Centre for Middle East and African Studies and Principal Researcher at the Centre for Iran Studies, both at the University of Tel Aviv. Previously, he was head of the Department of Middle Eastern and African History at Tel Aviv University.

Prof. Rabi’s research focuses on modern history and the evolution of states and societies in the Middle East, on relations between Iran and Arabia, on oil and politics in the Middle East and on the dynamics between Sunnis and Shiites; in this context, he has supervised the theses of numerous doctoral students in this field over the years.

Our colleague at EIPA hosted a briefing featuring Major General Israel Ziv, a prominent figure in Israel’s military strategy and defence analysis. With expertise in cross-border military operations, notably in Gaza and Lebanon, General Ziv has played pivotal roles in key events such as the Israeli disengagement in 2005. His contributions extend to formulating strategic agreements with the United States and advancing the IDF’s foreign relations. Beyond his military career, General Ziv actively engages in initiatives to address social issues like racial discrimination and contributes to sustainable development projects worldwide. He is widely recognised for his efforts in combating terrorism and providing invaluable insights into Israel’s defence landscape.

“Nasrallah right now seems to have no reason to continue on the path he took after October 7. He is losing top commanders and cells and this creates fear and demoralizes his militiamen,” says reitered general Israel Ziv, one of Israel’s most influential military strategic and defense commentator.

“The responsibility for the failure of  October 7 falls as much on the intelligence as on the political leadership.” What happened was due to the fact that Israel did not realize, or perhaps did not want to realize, that Hamas was transforming from a terrorist group to a large-scale military organization. We saw pieces of it but we didn’t catch the whole picture.”

‘’In the October 7 attack, Hamas put into practice the doctrine of Qasem Soleimani, the general killed in 2020 by a U.S. raid. The pattern is that, surround Israel, force it to respond on multiple fronts, overpower it.’’

This is the analysis of retired IDF general Israel Ziv, one of Israel’s most influential military strategic and defense commentators. He spoke at a briefing for journalists organized by Europe Israel Press Association (EIPA) in Rome.

Ziv is an expert on military operations particularly in Gaza, where he played a key role in the Israeli disengagement in 2005, and in Lebanon by helping to formulate the strategic agreement between Israel and the United States.

Hamas is a piece on Iran’s chessboard, like Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in the Red Sea, and Shiite groups in Syria. Iran, he said, concurs in gaining positions and increasing its weight within the coalition with Russia and China.

“Nasrallah, for his part right now seems to have no reason to continue on the path he took after October 7. He is losing top commanders and cells and this creates fear and demoralizes his militiamen,” Ziv  added.

The military analyst outlined the personality of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar by trying to explain why he attacked Israel specifically on October 7: “I know people in Khan Yunis (Sinwar’s hometown), there they describe him as a true radical, one who kills with his own hands those he considers his traitors. A fanatic of Islamic rules, absolutely anti-Semitic,” Ziv said.

“For the October 7 assault he was already preparing when he was detained in an Israeli prison, sentenced to several life sentences. When he was released, along with 1,000 other Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the release of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in 2011, Sinwar quickly cornered Ismail Haniyeh, who was sent to be a political leader in Qatar. He took all the power and put himself next to Mohammed Deif, whom he knew well. Most likely now Sinwar is still in some tunnel in Khan Yunis, where he travels with his family. Although we cannot be 100 percent sure. Palestinian civilians don’t think about it: captured militiamen were asked why they don’t have the tunnels used as shelters. They answered that the tunnels are only for fighters, not for civilians.”

“The agreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia certainly affected the choice to attack,” he said. “Israel’s biggest mistake? Not understanding that Sinwar created an army, Hamas is a military organization, an extensive underground structure that is difficult to attack, it has the capacity to produce weapons. It has been underestimated.”

“The only possible solution is for Gaza to be independent, to develop its economy, to be dependent on no one, for the Palestinian population to prosper, to have a future. Without Unrwa, which in its school books teaches children to hate Jews and kill them,” Ziv added.

Who is Israel Ziv ?

Ziv is an expert on military operations particularly in Gaza, where he played a key role in the Israeli disengagement in 2005, and in Lebanon by helping to formulate the strategic agreement between Israel and the United States.

A retired general, upon learning of the October 7  incursion and resulting significant civilian and military turmoil, Ziv, equipped with a nine-millimeter pistol, proceeded towards the conflict zone, organizing soldiers, supervising evacuations, and participating in combat. His actions, widely reported by Israeli media, subsequently transformed him into a notable figure representing individual initiative, particularly in the context of what some observers and Ziv himself viewed as a failure by the government and military to sufficiently safeguard civilians.

‘The responsibility for the failure of October 7 falls as much on the intelligence as on the political leadership’