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State Department Report Notes Rising Tide of Global Anti-Semitism

(U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom) The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom's 2012 Annual Report found: Egypt: Where the small remnant of a once sizeable Jewish community now consists of fewer than 100 people, "in 2011, material vilifying Jews with both historical and new anti-Semitic stereotypes continued to appear regularly in the state-controlled and semi-official media. This material includes anti-Semitic cartoons...comparisons of Israeli leaders to Hitler and the Nazis, and Holocaust denial literature. Egyptian authorities have not taken adequate steps to combat anti-Semitism in the media, despite official claims that they have advised journalists to avoid anti-Semitism." "Human rights groups cite persistent, virulent anti-Semitism in the education system, which increasingly is under the influence of Islamist extremists, a development the Egyptian government has not adequately addressed. Iran: "Official policies promoting anti-Semitism have risen sharply in Iran, and members of the Jewish community have been targeted on the basis of real or perceived ties to Israel. President Ahmadinejad and other top political and clerical leaders have made public remarks during the reporting period actively denying the Holocaust and calling for the elimination of the State of Israel." "Numerous programs broadcast on state-run television advanced anti-Semitic messages, a prominent newspaper held a Holocaust denial editorial cartoon contest, and the Iranian government sponsored a Holocaust denial conference. Official government discrimination against Jews continues to be pervasive, fostering a threatening atmosphere for the approximately 25,000-30,000-member Jewish community." Venezuela: "State media and pro-government media continue to make anti-Semitic statements....As the October 2012 presidential election approaches...Henrique Capriles Radonski, the opposition candidate, was raised as a Roman Catholic but is the grandson of Polish Jews who fled Nazi persecution, and his great-grandparents were killed in the Treblinka concentration camp." "Within a week of Capriles' selection in February 2012, state-run Radio Nacional de Venezuela posted on its website a column calling him a supporter of 'international Zionism' and including a number of traditional anti-Semitic themes and conspiracies; and a mob formed in front of a Caracas synagogue until it was broken up by the police."
2012-08-01 00:00:00
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