JERUSALEM -- The findings of an Israeli report released Sunday says 2009 saw the most anti-Semitic incidents in western Europe since World War II.The report by an Israel-led umbrella of organizations dedicated to the combat of anti-Semitism outlined hundreds of violent incidents in Britain, France and Holland.
It said the number of incidents in the first three months of 2009 in western Europe surpassed that of all of 2008. That followed Israel's invasion of Gaza, which evoked harsh reactions.
In France, for example, there were 631 anti-Jewish incidents in the first half of 2009, of which 113 were violent, according to the report. Worldwide, eight people were killed in attacks last year.
Jewish Agency Chairman Natan Sharansky pledged to dispatch representatives from the semi-governmental organization to combat what he said was growing anti-Semitism at European universities.
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42% of Europeans believe that Jews use the past to extort money. Unsurprisingly, there were also more anti-Semitic incidents in Europe in 2009 than in any year since World War II.A joint report on anti-Semitism conducted by the Agency and the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs found that 42 percent of those polled by the University of Bielefeld in Germany agreed that "Jews exploit the past to extort money."But if you check the mainstream media, all you'll hear about is 'Islamophobia.'The countries in which the highest percentage of the population agreed with that statement were Poland and Spain.
According to the Jewish Agency, there were more anti-Semitic incidents in 2009 than in any year since the Second World War. In the first three months of 2009 - immediately following Israel's three-week offensive on the Gaza Strip - there were as many anti-Semitic incidents recorded as in the entire year of 2008.
In France, for example, there were 631 anti-Semitic incidents recorded in the first half of 2009, compared to 474 in all of 2008.
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