| Synagogues Bombed in Turkey | |
We should not be
surprised by the near-simultaneous bombings of two synagogues in Istanbul, Turkey,
on November 15, 2003. 23 killed. 260 wounded.
In 1986, Palestinian terrorists shot dead 22 worshippers in one of the synagogues
attacked in this bombing, Neve Shalom.
The U.S. warned the Turkish authorities about two months before the bombings
that terrorists could strike at Israeli or American targets in the country and
that members of an Islamic extremist group had crossed into Turkey from either
Iran or Iraq.
But the real reason we should expect attacks on Jews will happen now and in the future is the strong resurgence of anti-Semitism worldwide in the past few years.
9-11 Conspiracy Theories
Conspiracy theories about September 11 ran rampant in Arab and Muslim nations after 9-11. The Arab media spread the idea that Israel was somehow directly involved. The media cited grossly inflated figures for the number of Jews who usually work in the World Trade Center and those who were not in their office on the morning of Semptember 11.
Resurgence of Anti-Semitism in the Arab World and Europe
Anti-Semitism in the Arab world is largely based on hatred of Israel and the West. This hate is being spread both through Muslim pulpits and by official Arab media.
The new anti-Semitism in Europe, not yet 60 years after the murder of 6,000,000 Jews in the Holocaust, is being fueled by anti-Semitic campaigns in the Arab world and being spread via immigrants, the media and the Internet.
An opinion survey, given by the Anti-Defamation League in October 2002, of adults in five European countries found that 21% harbor strong anti-Semitic views, and 56% believe that Jews are more loyal to Israel than their own country.
Anti-Semitism Worldwide in 2002
The year 2002 witnessed the highest number of violent anti-Semitic acts in more than 12 years, according to Tel Aviv University's annual report, Anti-Semitism Worldwide 2002/3. A total of 311 violent anti-Semitic attacks were reported in 2002, among them 56 major attacks involving the use of weapons, and 255 major violent incidents. The Anti-Defamation Leagues provides details online of selected Anti-Semitic incidents around the world in 2002.
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~ Lisa Katz
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