Anti-Semitism in Israel

by Steven Shamrak

It is not a secret that anti-Semitism is on the rise in Europe, mainly France, Germany and the former Soviet Union. Now, due to indifference and political stupidity, Jews can ‘enjoy’ the same treatment in Israel too.

Three teenage immigrants from the former Soviet Union attacked two religious Jews in Israel. The teens were charged with attacking two orthodox Jews with baseball bats in Petah Tikvah, sending one to the hospital. They also were charged with throwing a Orthodox man into the street and kicking him crudely in the face; entering a yeshiva and desecrating several religious texts; and stealing equipment from the car of another religious man and smashing the windshield.

For many years Jewish Agency has been breaking Israel’s immigration law and brought over 100,000 non-Jews to Israel from the former Soviet Union. It was done in order to keep the ‘numbers up’ and receive more funds from the government and private donors. Effectively the Eastern European anti-Semitism was exported to Israel.

I often used to hear the word ‘Zihd’, the Russian equivalent of ‘Bloody Jews’, on the streets of Ukraine and in Moscow. Now Jews from the former Soviet Union, due to the ‘courtesy’ of the Jewish Agency, can hear it in Israel. Believe me, it is not a pleasant feeling!

The Israeli legal system is not interested in addressing this problem and the law does not protect Jews from anti-Semitism in their own country. This is another result of apathy and gutless politics of ‘gutful’ Israeli politicians.