Fighting Anti-Semitism in Spain

There is no question that any group of people seems to incite hatred and distrust more than God’s Chosen People.  Much of this hatred is based on the lies perpetuated in THE PROTOCOLS OF THE ELDERS OF ZION, a fictional piece that was marketed as truth – first in Russia and then in much of the rest of the world.  As the article below from THE JEWISH DAILY FORWARD shows, Anti-Semitism is alive and doing well on the Iberian Peninsula!

The president of Spain’s Jewish community called for changes to the country’s penal code to better combat online anti-Semitism and Holocaust denial.  Isaac Querub, president of the Federation of Jewish Communities in Spain (FCJE), said at a seminar on anti-Semitism in Barcelona on Thursday that article 510 of the Spanish penal code, which deals with racism, needs to be amended to address hate speech on the Internet. A similar amendment needs to be made to article 607, which deals with incitement to genocide, he said.

Referring to a survey form 2011, Qerub said that 35% of Spanish students would not like a Jewish study partner. “We know that prejudices against Jews persist in Spain,” he added.

Spain’s conservative government last month unveiled proposed amendments to the country’s criminal code that would make Holocaust denial illegal should its aim be to incite violence.In 2009, the Spanish daily El Mundo interviewed Holocaust denier David Irving, listing him as an “expert” on World War II. The paper’s editors said the interview was constitutionally protected free speech. The Anti-Defamation League called the interview “an embarrassment to Spain.”

Corrie ten Boom knew all too well what extreme measures Anti-Semitism can take, as she and her family, though not Jewish, suffered the atrocities of the Holocaust.  To learn more about her story read her book, THE HIDING PLACE, and/or take a virtual tour of her home in Ha’arlem, Holland, which is now a museum by going to www.tenboom.com.  We, like the ten Boom’s, can show our love for God and His Chosen People by praying according to the dictates of Psalm 122:6 – - by praying for the peace of Jerusalem.

To read, and make, comments regarding this topic go to The Jewish Daily Forward website.