At Gates of Vienna we’ve been watching the Jews leave Malmö for quite a while now. I have no way to find the statistics on how many Jewish people have deserted all of Scandinavia, but an essay (dating from 2001) by Dr. Henrik Bachner at Lund University dates the rise of Sweden's openly anti-Semitic public opinion to 1982. The Year of the War Against Lebanon.
Here is part of his conclusion:
… in mainstream political culture the public debate on Israel is a major forum for anti-Semitism. There appear to be several reasons for this. Two factors, however, are of fundamental importance.
First, as the prime Jewish actor in the global political arena Israel is a focal point for latent anti-Semitism. The Jewish state - in some cases its sheer existence, but more often its policies and actions - serves as a stimulus for anti-Jewish sentiments and prejudice to become manifest. Israeli policies…are interpreted by parts of the public through a filter of pre-existing, probably often unconscious, negative stereotypes and beliefs. As was demonstrated during the Lebanon War, Israel, to a substantial number of people, was not a state like other states and did not go to war for motives similar to those of other states. Israel’s war became in the eyes of many a “Jewish” war, pursued for specifically “Jewish” motives.
And you know the motives, right? Greed, the desire to dominate the Middle East (before going on to take over the whole world and then colonizing the moon). In other words, the usual ‘logic’ trotted out in this ‘discussion’.
Second, the debate on Israel has been a major forum for anti-Semitism within mainstream political culture because it constitutes the only public arena where negative attitudes toward Jews can be legitimately articulated…
Reactions to the Lebanon War, moreover, indicated that the strong anti-Israel mood was accompanied not only by a more visible anti-Semitism, but also a greater tolerance toward anti-Jewish expressions within the mainstream media. Although anti-Semitism lacked legitimacy within the democratic political culture, a large number of respected newspapers and periodicals published material that was quite openly anti-Semitic, and which, under “normal” circumstances, would not have been included.
The Swedish debate on Israel’s Lebanon War demonstrates the persistence of traditional Christian and secular anti-Jewish myths and stereotypes. Although largely absent from the public discourse for decades, historically- and culturally-rooted images were easily reawakened and formed the kernel of the antisemitically tinged argumentation. But the discussion that emerged also demonstrates the adaptability and flexibility of anti-Semitism as well as the propensity for its renewal.
And now, with the influx of large groups of rabidly anti-Jewish immigrants from various areas of the Middle East, there is a handy cover for what was at least a social problem before the Muslims showed up.
As I said at the start, I have no statistics for how many Jews have fled Scandinavia. But take a guess at the size of the current Jewish population in Malmö…
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Seven hundred.
That’s the total number of Jews in Malmö - against how many natives and immigrants who don’t care for their company? I’ve read lots of comment threads on this subject of emigration. The usual consensus turns out to be "the Jews ought to stay and fight. They shouldn't take this," etc. But why in the world would anyone want to do that given the odds and the systemic hatred? And why stay when you can go to a democracy where the sun shines on Jews (even if their neighbors don't)? Seems like a no-brainer to me. On the other hand, one has to weigh the Iranians against the existential threats in Sweden. That's a tough call.
From Israel National News, this report:
Violent anti-Semitism has become increasingly commonplace in Sweden’s southern city of Malmö, leading many Jewish residents to leave out of fear for their safety. “Threats against Jews have increased steadily in Malmö in recent years and many young Jewish families are choosing to leave the city,” said Fredrik Sieradzki of the Jewish Community of Malmö.
Last year [2009], 79 crimes against Jewish residents were reported to the Malmö police, roughly double the number reported in 2008. In addition, Jewish cemeteries and synagogues have been repeatedly defaced with anti-Semitic graffiti, and a chapel at another Jewish burial site in Malmö was firebombed last January during Operation Cast Lead in Gaza. Many Jewish residents of Malmö feel that local anti-Jewish sentiment is linked with negative attitudes towards Israel.
In addition to its small community of roughly 700 Jews, Malmö is home to a growing Muslim population. However, local Jews insist that the majority of anti-Jewish sentiment, although certainly existent in the Muslim community, is coming from local Swedes.
Sieradzki says that the attitudes of Malmö politicians, especially Social Democrat city council chair Ilmar Reepalu, have allowed anti-Semitism to fester. “He’s demonstrated extreme ignorance when it comes to our problems,” Sieradzki explained. “It’s shameful and regrettable that such a powerful politician could be so ignorant about the threats we face.
“If you read between the lines, he seems to be suggesting that the violence directed toward us is our own fault simply because we didn’t speak out against Israel. We’re a non-political, cultural and religious organization, and there are all kinds of Jews in Malmö.”
“All kinds of Jews in Malmö”? That’s a passing truth, unfortunately. Given that the city is down to seven hundred Jewish souls now, how long do you think it will be until Malmö is judenrein?
Hat tip: Kitman
17 comments:
It's rather interesting to hear a Swedish Jew make the standard "anti-semitic far right" smear, when it should be blindingly obvious it's the left that's harboring and promoting anti-semitism. Am I misunderstanding European politics, or isn't the antifas, leftists all, that are the secular wing of attacks on European Jews?
If Swedish Jews must be held responsible for what Israeli Jews do, would that Muslim complain if he were held responsible for murders carried out by Palestinian Muslims? I'm sure that the dead family that Muslim mention was almost certainly a fiction dreamed up by the Palestinians, if not made up on the spot by him.
You reap what you sow.
OK, Godffrey, spit it out. Don't beat around the bush. Tell us exactly and precisely what you mean by that.
Don't be shy.
There is a silent almost officially encouraged pogrom going on in Britain and Continental Europe, the instigators are not confined to islam or fringe groups but can be found in the mainstream from the local church to the House of Lords - Baroness Jenny Tonge of the Liberal Democrat party being a case in point with her blood libel of organ-trafficking in Haiti.
"OK, Godffrey, spit it out. Don't beat around the bush. Tell us exactly and precisely what you mean by that."
Very well. As those of us who are unable to look away as Western Civilization dies know a large percentage of Jews all over the western world support third world immigration, diversity, multiculturalism, etc. They have used their significant amounts of wealth and influence to implement these ideas and policies. Before anyone jumps on me for sounding like an anti-Semitic conspiracy theorist I would like to say that I do not believe the Jews destroyed the west. The west is commiting suicide but a good many Jews are more than happy to help. I am willing to bet that twenty years ago the Jews of Malmö were welcoming the Muslims with open arms thinking that they would electorally offset the far right. But it hasn't worked out like that. Instead the Cultural Enrichers are doing what their religion commands them to do and are busy killing, beating up, and driving out the Jews. All the while the Jews who can afford to live in areas that aren't Culturally Enriched are railing against "racism" and accusing the BNP/Vlaams Belang/PVV/Swedish Democrats of being Nazis. One good thing to come out of this is that the Jews who were forced out of Malmö know better now. An Islamophobe is a liberal who has been beat up by a Muslim. Or had their car torched by a Muslim. Or were raped by a Muslim.
Godffrey --
Fair enough. Maybe one of our Swedish readers can tell us whether "twenty years ago the Jews of Malmö were welcoming the Muslims with open arms." I find this hard to credit, because by then Jews were quite familiar with Islamic attitudes, as expressed to their detriment in "Palestine". But I could be wrong.
Godffrey,
As an American Jew who is far from the main stream of JINO's,I am
extrmely conservative, considered by some a neocon kook(I have been called much worse, trust me)one would think I would be extremely offended by your comments, but I am not. As Baron asked you to explain your comment, you did. More huevos than many who comment and run here, or at my site. You have described the situation repeated many times over. I watched it as young child, growing up in such a liberal home that I often felt like I had to wash it off. I recall several talks with my grandfather who died way too young for me that he feared that once that the Nazi's were defeated in Europe the liberalism that would take root would be the downfall of the entire continent long after he had passed on. We are Lithuanian and he had seen his fill of persecution and hatred that he left Europe for here. He returned many times, one of his last trips was in 1936 to try and convince his family to move to America. They refused and we know the end of the story. Treblimks, Auschwitz, Birkeneau(sp)?
The Jews have written their own sentence too many times and it grieves me terribly. One must be careful what they wish for and create. I have to agree with your statement: "The west is commiting suicide but a good many Jews are more than happy to help." I know far too many and will never have anything to do with them. I would like to know about Malmo 20 ot 35 years ago as Baron brought up.
This is probably way over 500 words so I will stop for now.
I live in Skåne (same region) but not in Malmö and I don't visit the city particularly often. Therefore I cannot claim to know if the jews welcomed the muslims 20-30 years ago. All I can say is that I doubt they where persecuted back then. I'm willing to bet that they could even wear symbols of their faith without risking their lives. Jews within academia, media and politics seem to support multiculturalism but I dare not say if that goes for all jews.
This establishes that some of our Jewish allies are not immune from and can have the same self-loathing, thinking errors and hypocrisy as the likes of Alex Salmond and Tony Blair who have invested heavily in the islamisation project.
Both Alex Salmond and Tony Blair are Scots born it would be ridiculous to then conclude that all Scots are therefore guilty and should be driven and forced out of Erurope.
PatriotUSA, the concentration camp was Auschwitz-Birkenau, near the Polish town named Birkenau(in German). This is what most people refer to when they refer to Auschwitz, even though this is Auschwitz II. There were three of them, if I recall right. I have ancestors on my father side who died in one of them.
4Symbols, most liberal Jews don't self-hate. They are more or less ethnocentric, it's just that I think they don't realize that once the West will fall, Israel will too. I'm actually not quite sure on how they think about it.
One of the biggest successes of the left in terms of Jewish public opinion in that it somehow managed to persuade everyone that anti-Semitism is a phenomenon that can only come from the right. Jewish people around Europe and the states bought this lie, and form them it passed on to Israeli elites and politicians, who call their Jewish friends whenever they wanna know what's going on outside their (our) little life boat.
A small section of the great leftist operation of re-writing history is dedicated to the re-writing of anti Semitism as a right wing phenomenon (It's helpful to remind people that the full name of the Nazi party was "the national-socialism"). These are the bad news, the good news are that young Israelis (like me), are growing increasingly aware of the bullshit their parents have been sold to, most of them are well aware (by intuition or by knowledge) that the real threat to Israel in Europe, is the combination of left wing opinions and Muslim dominance. The European right wing should have been the obvious partner for these young Israelis, unfortunately, a few dinosaurs in Israeli politics still posses the ancient fear of the European right (after all they've been taught that this is where anti-Semitism comes from...)
Jews around the world (and even in Israel) are definitely guilty of trying to be even more politically-correct then Europeans in many situations, but blaming them for Muslim Immigration to Europe is truly absurd.
"most liberal Jews don't self-hate"
That is partly true for liberal Jews outside Israel, as for the ones Inside Israel It is far from true. As an Israeli student and as someone who grew up in the Israeli left (don’t worry, I didn’t stay there too long), I can testify that the Israeli left is at least as self hating as its European counterpart, and, again, just like its European counterpart, it is far from being ethnocentric.
Just a note:
Almost all the liberal Jews we know
here in the States are anti Israel
because to then it
represents all that is
wrong with being Jewish.
They feel that the poor arab's land was stolen from them.
Israel is almost nazi like in their treatment of the poor palestinians who are 'trapped' in gazastan by the horrible Israeli oppressors. They think nothing of supporting the likes of the vile 'J Street' organization, participating any rally or moevement against Israel or even products made in Israel. Nededless to say, I have nothing to do with libtarded, JINO. They
bothered me to the point that I got a restraining order against some of them. It does not help that I gave my life to the Lord over 26 years ago either.
Dymphna, Great post and I cross posted this to the Corner.
Godffrey said...
"The west is commiting suicide but a good many Jews are more than happy to help."
"I am willing to bet that twenty years ago the Jews of Malmö were welcoming the Muslims with open arms thinking that they would electorally offset the far right, but it hasn't worked out like that."
- - - - -
Dagen Nyheter - the Daily News of Stockholm - the biggest daily in Sweden, 340.000/day is 100% owned by the jewish publishing house Bonnier AB gives salient shelter to a selected group of most productive and inveterate israel-hating, islam-adoring PC-journalists.
According to the political scientist Magnus Hagevi 90% of muslims in Sweden vote on the left block, the socialdemocrats get 70%. 4% of muslim votes goes to the non-Socialists.
Said by Nalin Pekgul of Kurdian origin and probabely a so called moderate muslim, chairwoman of the Socialdemocratic Women's Association of Sweden: "If Mohammed had been active today he would have been a socialdemocat and a feminist."
"There are fifty million muslims in Europe. There are signs that Allah will grant islam victory in Europe without swords, without guns, without military conquests. The fifty million muslims in Europe will turn it into a muslim continent within a few decades. /.../ Europe is in a predicament, and so is America. They should agree to become islamic in the course of time, or else declare war on the muslims."
Jews have, funnily enough, the same problem as Germans before the WWII - they have the progressive left wing, which is Utopian and European, and they have the right wing, which is traditional and anti-European.
(see such websites as:
http://failedmessiah.typepad.com/
or search for haredi to see what I mean).
Unfortunately, the right wing in such countries is very often Utopian, too. (Hitler was right wing and a progressive anti-European Utopian).
In Israel it seems not to be the case, with the exception of some Messianism.
The problem with utopian progressivism is that it is simply European civilisation, but in an exagerrated, absurd form. Most features of Progressivism are about 700 years old by now (including anarchism, socialism, feminism, democracy etc).
"Jews have, funnily enough, the same problem as Germans before the WWII - they have the progressive left wing, which is Utopian and European, and they have the right wing, which is traditional and anti-European."
"Unfortunately, the right wing in such countries is very often Utopian, too. (Hitler was right wing and a progressive anti-European Utopian).
In Israel it seems not to be the case, with the exception of some Messianism. "
Not so true, big parts of The Israeli right are Utopian, but their utopia is a religious one: it talks about a Jewish state that revives the biblical Israel both is territory and in spirit. In this sense, one of the biggest changes that happened in Israeli politics and public opinion is the fact that in the nineties the right has given up this dream and agreed to the two state solution.
Few people understand the importance of this change- it is more or less equivalent to the right American wing giving up capitalism.
This change has made it possible for Israel to try and reach a peace agreement in Oslo, and more importantly, it has made it possible for Israelis like me to be absolutely and beyond any reasonable doubt sure that Palestinians has no real wish for their own country under a peace agreement- why should they, when they are so sure they can have the whole thing if they just wait long enough?
Fortunately, Israel does have a secular right wing, which is not Utopian and is pro European (as long as Europe stays Europe) this new kind of right wing consists mainly of ex-left wingers who finally understood what it is their dealing with. I believe anyone who has his eyes open and is both sane and honest must make this change. Hopefully a certain part of the European left wing possesses these qualities, it's up to us to help this percentage see the light.
I'm a first generation immigrant, raised in Malmö and of muslim origin. My parents are from Iraq, I was never raised to hate jews. I disagree with the political ideology known as Zionism, just as I disagree with many other nationalist ideologies. (And we all know that not all zionists are jews and not all jews are zionists.)
This does not mean that we hate jews as people or judaism as a religion/culture. Many of us understand this, many don't. And by the way, arabs are incapable of anti-semitism because we're semites too, and the situation for arabs in Europe is starting to look like a witch-hunt. My point with all of this is that the problem of anti-semitism in Malmö is far more complicated than many posters here understand (or are willing to understand?).
On another note. I've always admired jews for their ability to strike back at nationalist extremists with well-founded intellectual arguments. You jews should see yourself as you really are: a proud and cosmopolitan Middle Eastern people. You don't need to cater to nationalism.
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