, ,

Tunisian President repeatedly deflects concerns over antisemitism after synagogue shooting by criticising Israel

The President of Tunisia has twice sought to deflect concerns over antisemitism in his country following a deadly shooting outside a synagogue earlier this month, by criticising Israel.

President Kais Saied mocked those “who talk about antisemitism when we are in the 21st century,” following a cabinet meeting last Friday. He then reportedly proceeded to accuse those concerned about antisemitism of seeking “to sow division to benefit from this discourse.”

Then, over the weekend, Mr Saied recounted how “Tunisian Jews fleeing the Nazi forces…found refuge,” adding: “They speak of antisemitism, while the Jews were protected here.” Tunisian Jews were persecuted and enslaved by the Nazis during their brief occupation, but were liberated upon capture of the territory by the Allies. Previously, in 1941, Tunisian Arabs murdered several Jews during the pogrom known as the Gabès riots, in what was the worst outbreak of violence against Jews in North Africa during World War II.

Mr Saied continued his speech by asserting that the West raises concerns over antisemitism in Tunisia while ignoring Israeli policy toward Arabs. In what a local outlet described as a “defiant tone”, he alleged: “These parties do not hesitate to make false accusations of antisemitism, while they turn a deaf ear when it comes to dealing with the fate of Palestinians who die every day.” He added: “The Palestinian people will manage against all odds to triumph and recover their stolen land.”

The concerns over antisemitism in Tunisia are surfacing after a fatal shooting at the El Ghriba synagogue in Djerba as hundreds of worshipers celebrated the Jewish holiday of Lag B’ Omer left two Jews and three police officers dead.

Members of the Jewish community are disappointed and outraged that the President has refused to address the shooter’s motivations and the impact on the country’s small Jewish community and the many Jewish pilgrims who visit the synagogue every year. It is understood that no member of the Government has visited the community since the attack.

In 2021, President Saied is alleged to have accused Jews of being responsible “for the instability in the country,” a claim he later denied having made.

Campaign Against Antisemitism reports on news and incidents relating to antisemitism worldwide.

,

Police officer in Tunisia attacks synagogue during annual pilgrimage, killing four 

A police officer attacked Africa’s oldest synagogue in Djerba, Tunisia, shooting and killing four people. 

The attack occurred on 9th May at the Ghriba Synagogue in Djerba, during a Lag B’Omer annual pilgrimage which attracts thousands of Jews to the Tunisian island. The police officer killed two security guards before opening fire on the visitors, injuring four and killing two.

Tunisian authorities have not yet identified a motive for this attack.

Islamic militants have previously targeted Jewish people in Djerba. The Ghriba Synagogue was also attacked by al-Qaeda in 2002 during the pilgrimage, resulting in 21 deaths. 

Campaign Against Antisemitism reports on news and incidents relating to antisemitism worldwide.

,

Jewish Report expelled from Press Council of South Africa after reporting on “racist undertones” of BDS cartoon

The South Africa-based newspaper, Jewish Report, has been expelled from the Press Council of South Africa.

The move comes after a November 2020 article in the Jewish Report, which reported the opinion of two experts on antisemitism who argued that there was antisemitic imagery used in a cartoon advocating for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) against Israel.

The cartoon, which was posted to the Facebook page of the South African Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (SA BDS) Coalition, showed a grotesque, overweight banker in a pin-striped suit, with the logo of Israeli-owned dairy company Clover Industries on one shoulder, shovelling money into his mouth while a much smaller worker is left with much less. The words in the image read, “Don’t buy clover products!!” and “Don’t feed Clover’s greedy bosses!” 

The caption on the post says: “Greedy bosses connected to apartheid Israel. Blood curdling milk [and cheese, yoghurt, etc.]. Every reason to boycott Clover! Change your brand. Viva GIWUSA [General Industrial Workers Union of South Africa] and the struggle for a living wage! Clover was recently permitted by the Competition Commission and the department of trade and industry to be owned by Central Bottling Company (CBC), in turn owned by Milco, an Israeli concern operating in the Occupied Territories. The unions and Palestine solidarity organisations jointly submitted objections to the Competition Tribunal. Our objections were ignored.”

Milton Shain, an Emeritus Professor of History at the University of Cape Town, said that, although the cartoon is not an obvious representation of a Jewish capitalist, “it has enough resonance with age-old antisemitic images and tropes.”

David Saks, from the South African Jewish Board of Deputies, agreed, saying that the image “helps confirm suspicions that stereotypes of greedy, exploitative Jews are being used to fuel the anti-Israel positions held by the various trade unions.”

Following the publication of the Jewish Report article, and a complaint by a member of the Palestine Solidarity Alliance on behalf of the SA BDS Coalition and the General Industrial Workers Union of SA (Giwusa), the Press Council of South Africa, which offers its members a code of ethics to guide South African journalists, expelled the Jewish Report. This is the first time in twenty years that the Council has expelled a member.

In response, the Chairperson of the Jewish Report, Howard Sackstein, issued a statement saying: “Through its failure to recognise the racist undertones of the cartoon, the Press Council became party to the perpetuation of racism, hatred and bigotry in South Africa. By calling on the South Africa Jewish Report to apologise to racists, the Press Council discredited itself and failed the people of South Africa.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.

,

Democratic Republic of Congo considering controversial parentage law to prevent candidate of Jewish descent from running for President

The Democratic Republic of Congo is reportedly mulling a controversial law in order to prevent a candidate of Jewish descent from running for President.

Lawmakers loyal to the incumbent President Felix Tshiseked have introduced a bill to the African nation’s Parliament that would restrict the Presidency to candidates with two Congolese parents in a move believed to be intended to try to prevent the popular Moise Katumbi from running for the office.

Mr Katumbi’s father, Nissim Soriano, was a Greek Sephardi Jew who fled Rhodes during the Holocaust and settled in the Katanga province of the Congo, where he married a granddaughter of the local King Msiri, Mr Katumbi’s mother. Mr Soriano later emigrated to Israel, where he lived until his death and was buried. Mr Katumbi reportedly often visits relatives in Israel.

Mr Katumbi, a former regional Governor of Katanga and one of the country’s most popular politicians, has previously stated his intention to run for President, and last month secured a political pact with a former rival, paving the way for him to do so.

According to Rabbi Menachem Margolin, Chairman of the European Jewish Association, Mr Katumbi does not identify as Jewish “but he has a warm connection to Judaism and Israel.” He frequently refers to his Jewish roots in speeches, including calling himself “the Moses of Katanga, back to lead his people”, in a play on his first name, which means Moses.

The bill, which has not yet been scheduled for a vote, has reportedly already angered Mr Katumbi’s supporters and raised concerns about renewed instability in the volatile country, where secessionist tendencies are already particularly strong in Katanga, the most mineral-rich of the nation’s regions.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.

,

Jews murdered in Moroccan riots “deserve to be remembered” say descendants

More than 40 Jews murdered in Morocco in riots in 1948 “deserve to be remembered,” say their descendants, who are calling on the Israeli government to recognise those killed as Victims of Terror, with a view to establishing a monument and teaching “today’s generation” about the riots.

Riots began a few weeks after Israel declared independence in 1948. The riots took place in the neighbouring towns of Oujda and Jerada in north-east Morocco. The 41 dead included women and young children and the community rabbi. Jewish shops and businesses were looted, homes were destroyed and dozens of Jews were wounded.

Hundreds of their descendants have now signed a petition calling for the Defence Ministry to recognise the 1948 riots as a terrorist event, as this would allow for the establishment of a monument in the Jerusalem area, where a majority of them live.

Abraham Cohen, a descendant of a family that lost seventeen members in the violence, said that the move would “correct a historic injustice that cries out to heaven.”

The people who were murdered “deserve to be remembered,” he said. “We aren’t asking for special budgets or pensions. We only ask that someone care enough about their commemoration,” said Mr Cohen. He also suggested that the attacks should be included in the school curriculum “so that today’s generation will learn about the riots.”

He added that “for generations” they had “longed to hold a ceremony on the anniversary of the murders at a monument that is established in Jerusalem.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.

,

South African academic and BDS supporter investigated for stating Hitler committed “no crime”

A South African lecturer is under investigation after he declared in an online lecture that Adolf Hitler committed “no crime”.

Lwazi Lushaba, a political studies lecturer at the University of Cape Town (UCT) and a well-known supporter of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign gave an online lecture in which he stated: “Hitler committed no crime. All Hitler did was to do to white people what white people had normally reserved for black people.”

A UCT spokesperson described Dr Lushaba’s comment as of “grave concern”, and said that UCT was “clear that all brutalities of genocide constitute both formal crimes against humanity and ongoing sources of pain” and that the university distanced itself “very strongly” from any other view.

A UCT Jewish student said that he had been deeply disturbed by Dr Lushaba’s comments, which became public on Yom Hashoah. “Hitler didn’t just persecute Jews” but also black people, Roma and disabled, pointed out the student, whose great-grandfather was murdered by the Nazis.

Another Jewish student alleged that Dr Lushaba had been “saying similarly egregious things” since gaining his doctorate in 2019, but had evaded sanctions by claiming he was a victim of “racism” or that it was a “free speech” issue. Dr Lushaba received a reprimand after allegedly becoming violent towards colleagues when his preferred candidate was not elected as dean of humanities.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.

, ,

Algerian news outlet condemns Chelsea footballer for participating in Holocaust tribute

An Algerian news outlet has attacked a Moroccan-born Chelsea FC footballer over his participation in a Holocaust Memorial tribute.

The Algerian channel, Ennahar TV, showed a photo of Moroccan player Hakim Ziyech with his teammates at Chelsea’s tribute to Holocaust victims, and described his participation as “a scandal.”

The photo of Mr Ziyech and two teammates holding a banner declaring “We Remember,” and the logo of Chelsea FC and of the World Jewish Congress (WJC), was initially shared by Israel’s official Arabic Twitter account on 28th January.

The Algerian media report is part of an Islamist narrative criticising Morocco for its recent rapprochement with Israel.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.

,

Morocco signs up to combat antisemitism in Memorandum of Understanding with US State Department

Morocco’s quasi-official Association Mimouna has signed an agreement with the US State Department to work to combat antisemitism in Morocco.

The agreement was signed on 15th January via Zoom by the President of Association Mimouna, El Mehdi Boudra, and the State Department’s Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism, Elan Carr.

The agreement – a Memorandum of Understanding – follows the signing of the Abraham Accords aimed at normalising relations with Israel and promoting the acceptance of Israel and Zionism. A similar Memorandum of Understanding was signed in October between the State Department and Bahrain.

While neither the Moroccan organisation nor the signatory in Bahrain are Government bodies, both have the blessing of their nation’s respective royal family.

The Memorandum of Understanding commits the parties “to work together to share and promote best practices for combating all forms of antisemitism, including anti-Zionism and the delegitimisation of the State of Israel.” It also commits them to combat “other kinds of intolerance and hatred.”

In a statement, Morocco’s ambassador to the United States, Princess Lalla Joumala, said that the agreement “reinforces the deep and longstanding partnership ” between the United States and Morocco “in the fight against all forms of intolerance and the promotion of peace and mutual coexistence.”

She added: “It is an unwavering engagement spearheaded by His Majesty King Mohammed VI” who “ upholds the proud heritage of tolerance perpetuated by his forefathers.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.

,

Sylvain Sylvain, Jewish guitarist for the New York Dolls whose family fled antisemitism in Egypt, dies aged 69

Sylvain Sylvain, the musician hailed as the “lynchpin” of the rock band, New York Dolls, has died at the age of 69 following a two-year battle with an unspecified form of cancer.

The guitarist was born Sylvain Mizrahi to a Syrian Jewish family in Cairo in 1951. His family emigrated during the Suez Crisis, which is believed to have triggered a renewed wave of antisemitism across the country, from which the family was fleeing. The family eventually settled in Queens, New York following a brief stay in France.

He joined the New York Dolls in 1972 after befriending the band’s original drummer, Billy Murcia, at his high school. The guitarist pursued a solo career and recorded numerous albums up until the late 1990s.

Lenny Kaye, Patti Smith’s longtime Jewish guitarist, issued a social media post on Sylvain Sylvain’s personal Facebook page to announce his death and celebrate his accolades.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.

, ,

New UN budget includes provision to mark notorious Durban conference that tried to equate Zionism with racism

The UN General Assembly has approved an operating budget that includes money to commemorate an event which has been widely described as antisemitic.

Despite protests from the United States, the $3.231 billion budget containing a provision to mark the notorious 2001 World Conference Against Racism in Durban, South Africa, was approved. The General Assembly voted 167 in favour, with only the United States and Israel voting against.

Kelly Craft, the US Ambassador to the UN, accused the world body of “extending a shameful legacy of hate, antisemitism, and anti-Israel bias” by supporting an official event to mark the infamous Durban conference during the next General Assembly session.

The Durban conference was dominated by clashes over the Middle East. The US and Israel walked out over a draft resolution that equated Zionism with racism. The language was amended in the final documents, but the conference was seen as the beginnings of the boycott of Israel known as BDS, the tactics of which an overwhelming majority of British Jews believe are intimidatory.

The UN regular budget is funded on a sliding scale with the US paying the largest share. In September, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres wrote to the 193 member states warning that UN operations were under great pressure due to a “deepening liquidity crisis” exacerbated by the COVID pandemic. That being said, the approved budget was higher than the draft budget that he had proposed.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist us with this project.

,

Morocco to teach Jewish history and culture following ‘normalisation’ agreement

In what has been called a “ground-breaking” move, Morocco has announced that its schools will begin teaching Jewish history and culture as part of the official curriculum.

The recent announcement follows the recent peace deal between the Muslim nation and Israel, brokered by the USA, under which Morocco’s head of state, King Mohammed VI, agreed to normalise relations with Israel.

The decision on the curriculum was reportedly made earlier as part of a revamp of Morocco’s national curriculum which, according to Fouad Chafiqi of the Education Ministry, aimed to “highlight Morocco’s diverse identity”.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.

,

Politician named Adolf Hitler wins election in Namibia but insists he has no plans for world domination

A politician named Adolf Hitler Uunona has been elected to the Namibian Parliament.

Namibia is a former German colony that remains home to a small German-speaking community.

In the recent election Mr Uunona, an anti-Apartheid activist, won 1,196 votes compared to 213 votes for his opponent, which in turn meant he won the seat on the ticket of the ruling SWAPO Party.

He maintains that his father, and the wider community, lacked an understanding of what Adolf Hitler and the Nazi regime stood for, and stated that his name has subsequently been viewed as “totally normal” by family members and local residents. Mr Uunona, referred to as ‘Adolf H’ in the local government gazette, has reassured media outlets that he has no affiliation with fascist ideology and will not strive for world domination like his namesake.

The politician explained further that it would be “too late” to change his name officially and his name therefore appeared in full on the official results website following his victory.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.

We are seeking to recruit a General Counsel a Video and Content Creator to join our London office

Join the fight

Subscribe
Volunteer
Donate

Campaign Against Antisemitism is a volunteer-led charity dedicated to exposing and countering antisemitism through education and zero-tolerance enforcement of the law. Everything that we do is done by people who volunteer their time, using donations contributed by members of the public. Join the fight against antisemitism by subscribing to our updates, volunteering, or donating.