Wall Street Journal Europe - 12.05.2002

Wall Street Journal Europe

Addressing 'Europe's Curse'

By DANIEL S. MARIASCHIN

At a pivotal time in history, when the nations of the world are engaged in a colossal struggle against the new challenges posed by world terrorism, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) will hold its Tenth Ministerial Council this weekend in Portugal. Since the attacks of September 11, the OSCE has rightly made terrorism an important focus of its mission. This is consistent with OSCE's stated mandate of actively working on "early warning, conflict prevention, crisis management and post-conflict rehabilitation."

There's a growing threat in Europe right now that cries out for OSCE intervention: anti-Semitism. There are those that think anti-Semitism has been quashed. After the Holocaust and World War II, most of us believed (or we wanted to believe) that it was losing its appeal. Even today, there are those who say the recent acts of violence and protests against Jews are the acts of a few extremists buoyed by the conflict in the Middle East. Unfortunately, evidence suggests the contrary.

This is why European leaders should not wait another moment to acknowledge the scope of anti-Semitism across the continent and to focus efforts to deal with it. Clearly the OSCE is an appropriate international body that can take a lead in addressing these issues before this generation too has to start wondering how something like this could happen. An important part of the OSCE's human rights mission and often a terrorist motivator is ethnic hatred. As we have too often seen in the past, ethnic hatred starts small, gains momentum and then gets out of control.

The Jewish people know this kind of hatred well, and the extreme acts of cruelty it spawns.

This year alone, synagogues in Marseilles, Lyon, Brussels and Kiev were attacked; a Rabbi was stabbed 27 times on a London bus; Jewish soccer players were beaten with iron bars in France; there were random attacks on Jewish men and women in Berlin; a swastika-laden parade marched in the Netherlands with chants like "Jews into the sea!"; a march in Italy praised the terrorists who kill innocent Israeli children; and in Switzerland, hate letters and threats have reached record levels. This is but a very small sampling of a list that is too long and is growing.

Saddest and most remarkable of all is that much of this is occurring in Europe. In Europe, where so many died defending freedom and liberty. In Europe where the Nazis found fertile ground for their unique brand of hatred. In Europe, where the lesson of the Holocaust should have been the deepest.

The problem seems systemic throughout the continent. Is the genie out of the bottle? Perhaps it was never fully put back in the bottle. Anti-Semitism, unfortunately, has been part of Europe's historical experience and, as the lessons of the past five decades have shown, is not easily overcome.

And while awareness is important, we must do more than call attention to acts of anti-Semitism. We must act to drive anti-Semitism and all forms of ethnic hatred from any sense of social acceptance. We must find ways to identify and address the causes of anti-Semitism and why it is once again gaining traction in Europe.

The OSCE should define anti-Semitism as "a separate and unique form of racism," and organize an international symposium to explore solutions to this resurgent problem. They should agree to hold a plenary session early next year to address this issue at the highest levels of government. Such a meeting would signal Europe's determination to stamp out anti-Semitism for good and would make it clear that hatred towards Jews and other ethnic groups will not be tolerated.

Only a major international gathering of this kind can create the opportunity for nations to be put on record regarding this important human rights problem. While not a complete solution, a conference would be a critical first step in acknowledging the facts that sadly still exist in Europe.

In spite of its history and the many lessons learned, different European governments have allowed an undercurrent of anti-Semitism to simmer for too long. It is clear that the tide of anti-Semitism is rising. It must be dealt with immediately and decisively. Not just for the victims of ethnic hatred, but for the people who must live amidst its squalor, it is incumbent upon Europe's leaders to act aggressively and decisively to keep this menace in check. This is where the OSCE can make an important difference.

Mr. Mariaschin is executive vice president of B'nai B'rith International.