“Hatred against the State of Israel and Israel bashing is nothing else but hatred against the Jewish people,” said German lawyer Nathan Gelbart who spoke at a recent conference in Brussels on the legal aspects of the fight against anti-Semitism organized by the European Jewish Union (EJU) and Tzedek, the Association of Jewish Lawyers.
Here is the text of his address:
“Kindly allow me to refer briefly to the topic of this conference: As a lawyer representing cases of Anti-Semitism at German Courts of Justice you have to cope with different opponents. Your opponent is not only the Antisemite on the other side. To be honest – you can deal with him. The real challenge today is to explain and – hopefully – at the end also to convince the courts and law enforcement authorities that we are dealing at all with cases of AntiSemitism, frankly speaking with cases of hatred expressed against Jews.
The general imagination of the typical Antisemite in Germany is of a very classical and static kind which does not reflect anymore the actual shape and appearance of Anti-Semitism today. Unfortunately, Antisemtism nowadays and not only in Germany is being reduced to a very basic and historic appearance: Hate speakers identifying themselves with Nazism and denying the Holocaust, gangs of skinheads marching drunk through German pedestrian zones or demolishing jewish gravestones. As unpleasant these incidents are, they are not and will not create a tangible sociologic or political danger to Jewish life in Europe or its countries democratic characters. But, unfortunately, German law enforcement authorities are concentrating their activities to these kind of Antisemites, since a) they are very easy to identify and b) this is what German common sense and understanding about Anti-Semitism, even in its legal approach, simply is like.
Ladies and Gentlemen, the bad news is that the modern anti-Semite is growing with his challenges, making it harder for both courts and law enforcement bodies to identify, prosecute and finally convict acts of Anti-Semitism. This, for the following reasons:The modern Antisemite will never speak out against Jews in General. The opposite is the case: The modern Antisemite, though formally, even condemns Anti-Semitism, condemns the Holocaust and even expresses upmost sympathy with the Jewish people. He simply has created a new species, the “Anti-Zionist” or – even more sophisticated – the so called “Israel Critic”. Both, the Antizionist as well as the Israel Critic claim to love the Jews but just to have a problem with the State of Israel and its policy and causing hereby massive irritations both at courts and law enforcement authorities.
But, Ladies and Gentlemen, the good news is, there is no reason to surrender to the modern Antisemite. With concentrated work and convincing arguments legal action still may be achieved. Lets take a look at the description “Antizionism” and compare it to other well known Anti-Movements: Does the Anti-Capitalist just want to reform Capitalism and turn it into a more social phenomena ? Or does the Anti-Fascist, the Anti-Imperialist or the Anti- Communist only seek to improve these appearances and make them applicable to the needs of the people ? The answer, self speakingly is no. All these Anti-movements are not friendly to the movement itself and definitely do not seek to improve or turn it into a more friendly shape. All these Anti-Movements have the same goal: They are hostile to the Movement itself. They do not want to change it, they are fighting it excessively and wish to overcome it, even to destruct it. Nothing different is the case with the Anti-Zionist. The Anti Zionist simply uses the word Zionism as another description of Israel. Neither does he know about Zionism nor does he want to change Zionism into a more human movement due to his interpretation. He is hostile to Zionism and Israel, fighting it wherever and whenever he can, denying its right of existence and seeking to simply dismantle it, though in the pretended sake of “Peace in the Middle East”. The denial of the right of existence of the State of Israel and of Jewish independence in its historical homeland is a clear act of Anti-Semitism and hatered and nothing else, Ladies and Gentlemen.
The same applies to the nowadays very popular but most dangerous kind of modern Anti-Semitism, the “Israel Critic”: The so called “Israel Critic” has finally made it into the middle of our societies, being a respected member of democratic parties, main stream media and even culture and arts. The “Israel Critic” – worse than the Antizionist – even expresses friendship to the State of Israel claiming to seek for a better policy to the benefit of the Israeli people suffering from its current government though using exactly the same classical anti-Semitic stereotypes, just covered in a much more friendly uniform: The “Israel Critic” condems the Holocaust but compares the behaviour of IDF soldiers with Nazi criminals. The “Israel Critic” does not tell the classical anti-Semitic blood libel story but publishes posters showing Israeli soldiers eating up alive Palestinian children. The “Israel Critic” does not say Jews are not loyal to the country they live in but at the same time complains that the local Jewish Community is nothing else but the propaganda machinery for the State of Israel. He will not demand not to buy Jewish goods but calls for a boycott of Israel, the jewish State. The “Israel critic” will never state “Jews go home” but is questioning the legality of the incorporation of the State of Israel and therefore the right for the Jewish people to settle in their homeland. He will not say the Jews are the evil of the world but claim that the State of Israel is a major cause for instability and war in the region. And finally, ladies and Gentlemen, almost every so called “Israel Critic” in fact has just one single client and customer: Israel. There is no other country, no other people on this planet the “Israel Critic” would dedicate so much time and devotion as to the case of Israel. No other country he would criticize or ask to boycott its goods or academics. And this for one simple reason: Because Israel is the state of the Jewish people, not more and not less.
The conclusion is, dear friends: We all here are Israel and Israel is us. There is no difference but only artificial wordings. Hatred against the State of Israel and Israel bashing is nothing else but hatred against the Jewish people and cannot be described with anythinge else but clear Anti-Semitism. Therefore, ladies and gentlemen, the key word is Solidarity. Showing and demanding Solidarity for the State of Israel – in any kind of coleurs, whether morally, financially or politically - is nothing else but showing and demanding solidarity for the Jewish people, for ourselves and – last but not least – for the sake of justice and humanity.”