Posted Monday, June 10, 2002; 11:45 a.m. BST
The attacks are also a perverse response to the tragic cycle of violence in the Middle East. "It would be over-simplistic to say all recent anti-Semitic attacks in France have been avenging Palestinians," the justice official says. "But there is a real element of existing aggressiveness and rebellion deciding to attack Israel by attacking French Jews."

Sympathy for Palestinians in no way justifies violence, but it does suggest that there is something other than blind hatred of Jews at work. In France "there is undoubtedly a hard-core anti-Semitism," says Emmanuel Weintraub, chairman of the French section of the World Jewish Congress and a member of the board of CRIF, the umbrella organization for French Jewish groups. "But that anti-Semitism is a rather quiet and drowsy thing. It might awake one day, but it hasn't awakened now."

Instead, what appears to be happening in many European countries — as evidenced by the appeal of far-right leaders like France's Jean-Marie Le Pen and the assassinated Dutch politician Pim Fortuyn — is a more generalized backlash against "foreigners" of all kinds and the entrenched political establishment. According to a new European Union report, for example, anti-Muslim attacks have also soared throughout much of the region since Sept. 11. And even the electoral success of Le Pen — who once called the Holocaust "a detail of history" — isn't only a symptom of anti-Semitism, but a reflection of French unease with its immigrant underclass. "Even some Jews voted for Le Pen," says Weintraub. "Why? Because they said, 'If [Le Pen] is against the Arabs, the enemies of our enemies are our friends.'"

For historical reasons, anti-Semitism is an especially sensitive issue in Germany. In May, Jamal Karsli — a Syrian-born legislator who has repeatedly accused the Israeli army of employing "Nazi tactics" in its campaign against the Palestinians and complained of a "Zionist lobby" that equates all criticism of Israel with anti-Semitism — was forced out of the Green Party. He was, however, welcomed into a state branch of the FDP by its local head and deputy national leader Jürgen Möllemann.

Chairman of a German-Arab friendship group and a longtime critic of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, Möllemann was lambasted — most stridently by Michel Friedman, vice president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany — for accepting Karsli into the party. In response, he said, "The intolerant, spiteful handling by Mr. Friedman of any critic of Sharon unfortunately is liable to awaken anti-Semitic resentments." The comment caused an uproar because of its explosive echoes of the old slur that Jews bring misfortune on themselves. Last week Karsli was forced out of the FDP and Möllemann apologized for any offense to Jews.

The episode was regarded by some commentators as a gambit to win the votes of Germany's anti-Semitic fringe. Friedman himself said that "it is unbearable that a party from the middle of the political spectrum uses anti-Semitism in an election campaign." The FDP is aiming to re-enter government as a coalition partner after September's election, but this episode hasn't helped. "If Möllemann's exploitation of right-wing populism is not corrected," says Hajo Funke, a political scientist at Berlin's Free University, "we'll have a party that works with anti-Semitic clichés."

1 | 2 | 3 | Next >>

Get the Magazine — Try 4 Issues Free!

Holocaust Studies A Jewish view of the Holocaust and anti-Semitism The Simon Wiesenthal Center The Center confronts important contemporary issues including antisemitism.

	TIMEeurope.com The Cybercrime Squad Moscow fears the next al-Qaeda attack may be on crucial computer networks ARCHEOLOGY Egypt's Lost Cities Divers are dredging up artifacts from the time of the pharaohs BUSINESS The euro Europe's single currency makes a comeback ARTS Fit For A Queen "Royal Treasures" exhibition shows off extravagant tastes