STATEMENTS

Following Belgian Magazine Humo’ removal of the offensive and antisemitic article by Mr Brusselmans , the European Jewish Association (EJA) acknowledged it “ as a step in the right direction” , but said the legal case against the writer, magazine and publisher would continue “until justice is properly and meaningfully served”.

EJA chairman, Rabbi Menachem Margolin said in a statement today,

The removal of the highly offensive article is a step in the right direction.

However, the author has shown zero remorse for his “thought experiment” of murdering any Jew he meets in the street. He continues to regard incitement to murder as his freedom of speech.

The magazine editors only belatedly decided to remove the offending piece after a massive public outcry.

This is all much too little, much too late.

The EJA and a coalition of concerned Jewish leaders and organisations in Belgium will continue our legal action against the writer, magazine and publisher.

We still demand a full apology from the magazine and the suspension of Mr Brusselmans.

A strong, uncompromising response is absolutely necessary lest others think they can also call publicly for the mass murder of Jews.

We will not rest until justice is properly and meaningfully served.”

European Jewish Association started legal incitement to murder proceedings against the writer who says in Humo magazine that he wants “to shove a sharp knife in the throat of every Jew I come across”

The Brussels based European Jewish Association (EJA) representing hundreds of Jewish communities across the continent is starting legal action against a writer who was published in Belgian magazine Humo for incitement to murder.

It is also demanding a full public apology from the magazine and the suspension of the writer involved.

“There is nothing, nothing even remotely funny, ironic or satirical about the psychopathic incitement to murder Jews,” says Rabbi Menachem Margolin, the EJA chairman.

In the Humo piece Herman Brusselmans accuses Netanyahu of murdering children and dragging the world into a third world war: “The Middle East will explode, with unruly consequences for the rest of the world. And all this by a small, thick and bald Jew, who bears the ominous name of Bibi Netanyahu. I see a picture of a Palestinian child crying and screaming completely beyond all senses to his mother lying under the debris, and I imagine that this child is my son Roman, and the mother is my friend Lena, and I am so angry that I want to push a sharp knife in the throat of every Jew I come across.”

Rabbi Margolin added:

“We know this is a shock-jock journalist, who pushes the boundaries. But publicly expressing his desire to stab the throat of any Jew he comes across is psychopathic. Given his popularity and infamy, it is also an invitation for others to do likewise. It is completely and utterly out of all bounds. It nothing short of incitement to murder.

“The publication of this disgusting column indicates a serious flaw in the judgment of the editors.

“We are taking a legal case against the writer for the serious charge of incitement to murder. We are also demanding a full apology in public from Humo for its publication and the suspension of the writer involved.”

First Rabbi arrested since the Nazis for performing circumcision – in Ireland.

“You cannot imprison the Jewish faith” say European Jewish Association, calling for Rabbi’s immediate release.

The Chairman of the ‏European Jewish Association (EJA), Rabbi Menachem Margolin, is demanding the immediate release of a British rabbi who was arrested in Ireland for performing circumcision.

Rabbi Margolin is calling on the President of Ireland, Michael Higgins, Prime Minister Simon Harris and the Speaker of the Irish Parliament to intervene for the immediate release of the certified Mohel who was arrested yesterday in Dublin, Ireland, without bail, for performing circumcision.

The certified Mohel, Rabbi Yonathan Avraham, 47 years old, father of 10 children, who works legally in England, arrived in neighboring Ireland, was arrested in a raid by the Dublin police on the house where the religious ceremony was performed. He has decades of experience, has performed circumcision all over Europe and is recognised as leading expert and practitioner of this important rite.

“circumcision is not a crime but a commandment practiced by the Jewish religion for more than 3000 years said Rabbi Margolin.

The last time anybody was arrested for performing circumcision was under the Nazis, whose first laws in their blind and irrational hatred of the Jewish people targeted this practice. That the Irish legal system is now second to Nazi germany is a sad and incongruous indictment.

Circumcision has been adopted by other religions and recognized as a practice by the World Health Organization, which recommends in many cases the circumcision of boys. About thirty percent of the men in the world – and not only Jews, are circumcised and live healthy lives,” notes Rabbi Margolin.

The chairman of the ‏European Jewish Association stated that the arrest sends a clear message that Jews are no longer welcome in Ireland and demands that the Mohel be released even before Shabbat begins on Friday evening.

“The arrest not only infringes the fundamental right of freedom of religion but it also humiliates the parents involved by suggesting that they do not really care for their children. All those parents who circumcised their children, went through the same procedure themselves and of course they would not have done so if it involved “physical or mental harm to the newborn, above all a mohel such as Rabbi Yonathan goes through many, many years of study and training before even being allowed to practice. We are not barbarians!”

Rabbi Margolin appealed to the Speaker of the Irish Parliament, who at the beginning of the year was hosted by EJA at Auschwitz, to act for the immediate release of the Mohel and promote legislation that would prevent such an arrest in the future.
Rabbi Margolin also appealed to the President of the State of Israel, Yitzhak Herzog, whose grandfather served as the Chief Rabbi of Ireland, with a request that he work this morning with the heads of the Irish government for the immediate release of the Mohel

(Brussels 19 July 2024) The European Jewish Association (EJA), representing hundreds of Jewish Communities across Europe, has been in discussions with Leadership at Adidas over the Bella Hadid Campaign for a shoe marking the 1972 Olympics. A campaign described by the EJA as deeply insensitive and painful given the murder of 11 Israeli athletes by Palestinian terrorists.In a statement today, the Chairman of the EJA, Rabbi Menachem Margolin, who spoke to leadership at the sports giant, said:“It was deeply insensitive and painful to see Bella Hadid, one of the most vocal and hateful inciters of antisemitism, fronting a campaign for an Adidas shoe marking the 1972 Munich Olympics – games that were made infamous by the tragic murder of 11 Israeli athletes by Palestinian terrorists.“Having spoken to Leadership at the company, we appreciate the speed with which Adidas have acted. It is a recognition that a serious mistake was made. We accept their apology and their commitment to be more mindful and careful of such sensitivities going forwards.“We welcome their decision to revise the campaign going forwards to reflect the understandable concerns raised by Jews, Israelis, and large swathes of the public world-wide.“We trust that this revision of the campaign will allows us all to move on from this entirely avoidable incident.”Ends.

In a statement this evening, Rabbi Menachem Margolin, the chairman of the European Jewish Association that organises regular conferences and delegations to Auschwitz for high ranking politicians, diplomats and figures such as Elon Musk, responded to former Polish Prime Minister Morawiecki’s efforts to deny polish involvement in the Holocaust:

“Whilst we honour and hold dear to our hearts the memory of the many heroic Poles who saved Jews in the Holocaust, we will never forget that Poland is the largest cemetery in the world for Jews who were tortured, murdered and burned alive with the support of too many Poles, many of whom continued to exploit the victims and their descendants after the Holocaust. Indeed some are still continuing to this day to falsify history.

It is for these reasons that the former Polish prime minister comments are not only wrong, but are also extremely dangerous.

Trying to distort and wash away any Polish involvement in the Holocaust is a cynical attempt to distort its full picture. It insults its victims, and undermines its legacy. From jedwabne to Kielce, the evidence is clear. Mr Moriawecki’s comments are therefore Orwellian, sinister and cannot stand unchallenged. The holocaust will never be rewritten. I say to the former Prime Minister: You cannot control the past. You must live with it, and learn from it. Go and learn.”