Antisemitism Then and Now
By Shachar Leven

     As we turn to the next page in our history books and boldly enter the 21^st century, we are confronted with some residual questions from the past century’s darker moments. In our highly sophisticated world of instant communications, expanding technology, and movement towards globalization have we truly learned our moral lessons? Has humanity finally and fully embraced the ideal of tolerance? Is the rampant antisemitism of WWII confined to the past?

     In attempting to understand the present and foresee the trends of the future, it is the past we turn to for answers and indication. One of the earliest antisemitic measures of WWII was the violent, anti-Jewish pogrom of 9-10 November 1938 known as Kristallnacht, "Night of the Broken Glass." The riots which took place in Germany and Austria, occurred, officially, as retaliation for the 7 November Paris assassination of German embassy official, Ernst vom Rath, by Jewish refugee, Hershel Grynszpan. The assassination was viewed as an act of personal revenge by Grynzspan, after receiving word that his parents, both German citizens of Polish origin, had been stripped of both their German and Polish citizenship and had been left at the German border, penniless and with nowhere to turn.

     Two days of ardent incitement in the press and by government officials immediately followed vom Rath's assassination, and at a gathering of top Nazi leaders in Munich on 9 November, the mandate was given to instigate violent measures against the Jewish population.

     During the next two days, hundreds of synagogues were razed, 7,500 Jewish businesses were destroyed, and Jews were assaulted, resulting in a death toll of more than 90 people. Close to 30,000 Jews were arrested and sent to concentration camps at Dachau, Sachsenhausen, and Buchenwald.

     Even  today, we are still grappling with the devastation of Kristallnacht, as a warning sign unheeded, of the more radical antisemitic measures which followed soon after. At the same time, when reviewing the events of the most recent past, it becomes increasingly clear that the phenomenon of antisemitism has proven its resilience in countries across the globe, most markedly in the final months of the year 2000.

     Since the onset in late September of the volatile security situation in Israel, there has been a major surge in anti-Jewish acts around the world. Numerous synagogues have been vandalized, several Jewish cemeteries have been defaced, and harm has come to Jews throughout Europe, the US, Canada, and Australia. In the month of October, alone, the Israeli Ministry for Diaspora Affairs cited over 300 violent attacks on Jews and Jewish property worldwide.

     According to Israeli Minister for Diaspora Affairs, Rabbi Michael Melchior: “This is probably the most serious wave of antisemitism that we have seen since WWII. There are places today where the Jews are taking their children out of the Jewish schools. They are afraid of identifying themselves as Jews, in a manner that hasn't been seen for many years."

     Chairman of the Yad Vashem Directorate, Avner Shalev confirms that “we are not talking about local isolated antisemitic incidents; there is a widespread outbreak and it is very frightening.”

     For some, the recent upsurge in anti-Jewish violence speaks not only of lessons left unlearned, but also suggests an alarming parallel to events preceding the Holocaust. Chairman of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, Paul Spiegel, is reminded today of scenes from 1938: "I couldn't have imagined at the beginning of the new century that further attacks on synagogues in Duesseldorf, Berlin, or Erfurt could happen."

     Whether or not current acts of antisemitism can be linked directly to the tragic events of the past is inconsequential. What is essential, as best iterated by Spiegel, is that for all of humanity "it is time to prove we have learned from history."

Kristallnacht: 9-10 November 1938 -- Austria and Germany:

-Gangs ransacked Jewish neighborhoods, breaking windows of Jewish-owned businesses and homes and setting fire to synagogues.

-Hundreds of synagogues were decimated and almost 7,500 Jewish businesses were destroyed.

-Physical attacks were carried out on Jews, bringing the death toll to more than 90 people.

-Close to 30,000 Jews were arrested and sent to concentration camps at Dachau, Sachsenhausen, and Buchenwald.

October-December 2000—Throughout the world:

United States: A Chicago Rabbi was targeted in a drive-by shooting incident and narrowly escaped injury.

Bosnia: A 16^th-century Jewish cemetery was vandalized and 32 tombstones were severely damaged in Sarajevo.

Canada: Demonstrations were held in the Canadian capital, Ottawa, during which protestors yelled "Death to the Jews," and burned Israeli flags.

Germany: The Düsseldorf synagogue was firebombed on German reunification day and many other synagogues were vandalized throughout the country.

Australia: Molotov cocktails were thrown at the Jewish Center in Canberra and at the private residence of a Rabbi from a Sydney yeshiva.