For Jews in Sweden, “this is not living”
Radical Islamists threaten violence, while BDS intimidates door-to-door.
In August 2013, we noted that Jews in Europe past their expiration date, based on the superb article You Only Live Twice by Michel Gurfinkiel in Mosaic Magazine:
There is no future left for Jewish communities in Europe.
That’s the inescapable conclusion of You Only Live Twice by Michel Gurfinkiel in Mosaic Magazine.
The lengthy article is a long trip down the death during World War II and then rebirth of Jewish communities in Europe, and how that rebirth is being snuffed out by renewed anti-Semitism from multiple directions, particularly leftist demonization of Israel and Islamist anti-Semitism.
This Leftist-Islamist coalition, centered around hatred of Israel, is a topic we’ve explored here many times in connection with anti-Semitism in Malmö, Sweden, on British campuses, in the BDS movement, in the academic boycott movement, among other places.
The fact is that while intellectually one can distinguish anti-Israeli fervor from anti-Semitism, in reality, on the streets of Malmö and Paris, and elsewhere in Europe, they are one and the same.
That was a year before the 2014 Gaza conflict, which so many blame for the rise of anti-Semitic violence in Europe.
Anti-Semitism and violence directed at Jews in Europe are not about Gaza.
Jeffrey Goldberg has an equally epic account of the rise of anti-Semitism in Europe, Is It Time for the Jews to Leave Europe?
As we have pointed out, Walking While Jewish in Europe is dangerous.
Annika Hernroth-Rothstein, a Swedish Jew, adds to the narrative, writing in Mosaic Magazine, Time for Swedish Jews to Leave?
They canceled Jewish winter camp. It sounds like a little thing, but in Sweden, where we have very few venues in which to lead our Jewish lives, it means a great deal. Winter camp is a yearly highlight, a place where our children can learn and play with other Jewish children, without worry. This year, they won’t be able to go, and for a simple reason—because it’s not safe….
Now that there are policemen with automatic rifles outside our children’s schools, guards outside our synagogues, and no go-zones in our cities, the community has at last awakened to the harsh truth. This is no longer a matter of fighting a ban on kosher slaughter, or of retaining the right to circumcise our sons; at risk is the security of each and every Jew in the country, whether affiliated with the community or not, whether religiously observant or not, whether politically left, right, center, or none of the above….
Today I don’t know what’s next for me, or for Europe. But I know that for my children and for me, this is not living.
It’s not just the threat of Islamist violence. In Malmö, the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement is going door-to-door to businesses to intimidate store owners not to stock Israeli products (h/t Elder of Ziyon):
Join Malmö’s Apartheid Inspectors when they visit stores and companies around Malmö to investigate dangerous levels of apartheid-supporting products! Support the inspectors to inform shop-owners and consumers on how they through consumer-boycott can push for apartheid-free zones.
Columnist Luke Berggren writing in Varlden Idag says:
Scary rhetoric is being used, which is unfortunately reminiscent back to the 30s. “Support inspectors in their efforts to inform shopkeepers and consumers about how they can promote the apartheid-free zones through consumer boycott.” In practice, this will disadvantage Jewish businesses in Israel. There seems to be no distinction between Israel Criticism and pure hatred of Jews. Talk about apartheid.
Many shopkeepers will be pressured to not buy Israeli goods. Let us do the opposite. Ask your retailer for Israeli goods. And buy Israeli goods. Boycotts of this kind suffered by Jews and is another worrying sign of the growing anti-Semitism. We can not accept this.
Europe is toxic for Jews, the result of a nasty combination of traditional anti-Semitism, Islamism, radical leftists and anti-Zionism.
[Featured Image: Video of Swedish Journalist walking with a kippah in Malmö]
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Comments
Then there are the Jews of Eastern Europe (Russia and Ukraine) living among raising anti-Semitism and Nazis marching with torches. And in the line of fire. And yet not leaving for some reason.
My ex’s mother had a lot of family that did not move out of Russia when her grandparents did, and most of them died.
Some people would rather die than move.
Experiences varied. While my family was subject to discrimination, we were not abducted or murdered. Also, Russians are not communists or atheists. It’s a mistake to classify them under past rulers or infer their present character from the past.
The confirmed expression of anti-Semitism and Nazis marching through the street have been affiliated with the Western-backed coup government, not Russia, Russians, or disaffected Ukrainians. It’s probably the same backers who are importing “diversity” into Europe and America in order to marginalize and control native people. For some reason, the Mandela solution (i.e. conspiring with a local faction to defeat a competing faction, claim control of developed resources, and commit mass slaughter of natives) is not an option, other than in occasional riots, mob intimidation, and criminal — even official — activities.
Yes, the Nazi torch marches are all Ukrainian. However, anti-Semitism is on the rise in both countries — as it happens in situations like that Jews get the blame. Russian Jews might feel safe because Putin, while certainly a dictator, is not personally anti-Semitic*, but this is a false sense of security.
Ukraine is at a braking point. As long as Ukrainians think that the West will back them, they feel obliged to be nice to their Jews, kind of. But the West will not — can not — back them.
—
* Um, do we really need to get rid of him?
So, the Europeans have thrown in with the Muslims. I’m glad for them. They will discover the folly of having that scorpion ride on their backs.
God must have something great in mind cuz the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled in our lifetime. He certainly is allowing the Europeans to have descend upon them the darkness they so clearly prefer.
The lesson learned from the history of Europe during the Holocaust, and other periods like it, is that no group can long exist when it depends on the kindness of others.
Either a people depend on its own abilities to defend itself or it is slow walking towards the grave. Bibi is working to make sure that Israel will defend itself, perhaps alone if needs be. One day, perhaps soon, the US will return to being a friend to Israel.
Also, it could be said for the USA that we cannot depend on our current government to defend our country, given the ideology of Obama’s administration. It’s a long time until January 21, 2017, a time that will seem to be perhaps impossibly long given Obama’s proclivities and ideological wants and needs. God help US.
“One day, perhaps soon, the US will return to being a friend to Israel.”
Let’s hope that happens when the ape leaves the White Hut.
The behavior of the leftist Europeans is despicable but not all that surprising. After all, we know the history of the Europeans and the Nazis. Not much has changed.
As I have commented elsewhere on this blog, the best and only hope for the Israelis is to maintain unquestioned military superiority to all their neighbors, especially the Iranians.
Military dominance is the ONLY factor which enables Israel to exist in the face of Muslim antagonism from all of their neighbors, especially the Iranians.
The majority of the Israelis understand this which is why they voted for Likud.
Exactly the atmosphere President Jarrett and Assistant President Obama want to bring to America.
Freaking amazing.
I wonder if Europe isn’t taking its cues from America. The BDS movement arose in the US first.
With allies such as the USA, how long will it be before Israel is lost to the Jews?
At some point you have to either help them leave or leave them alone. There’s maybe 2500 Jews left in Sweden. If Sweden is planning their entire country to the ground to expel 2500 souls then sane people should flee and anyone else is on their own. The Swedish government announced an intention to bring in 10’s of thousands more ‘immigrants’ or ‘refugees’ from wherever in the flaming post apocalyptic Arab Muslim world they can find them. Fair enough. If the Jews in Sweden think they can make a go of it when the whole country has become an Islamic civil war, then that’s on them.
It may be worse for Jews, I don’t know, but Swedes in general are not happy.
http://www.barenakedislam.com/2012/09/08/open-letter-from-a-swedish-woman-about-the-scourge-of-muslim-immigration-and-multiculturalism/
This was written about at least a decade ago, though this quote is from 2012