A Jewish community leader has warned that Jews represent the front line against a “new flame of radical Islamic terror”, and that anti-Semitism in Europe has reached levels not seen since the 1930s.
Speaking at a committee meeting of the World Jewish Congress in Washington, Ronald Lauder, President of the Congress, told his fellow committee members that the United States could not sit idly by while anti-Semitic attacks were taking place across Europe, the Telegraph has reported.
“Once again, like the 1930s, European Jews live in fear. The United States can and must speak loudly and clearly to condemn this evil for what it is – the radical Islamic hatred of Jews. To defeat this new flame of radical Islamic terror and survive… the United States must lead.”
In particular he drew attention to recent attacks in Toulouse and Paris, France, and in Copenhagen, Denmark. Lauder, the billionaire son of cosmetics giant Estee Lauder, was joined by Roger Cukierman, a French Jewish leader, and Dan Asmussen, a Danish Jewish leader.
Danish society “itself is not and has never been anti-Semitic and many of the threats facing Danish Jewry – like in the rest of Europe – come from marginalized and radicalized Muslims, and these form a small minority of all Muslims in Denmark,” Asmussen said.
Cukierman added: “This is a war against Western modern civilization. And the Jews are seen by these Jihadists as a privileged target. We Jews are the sentinels at the forefront of this war. But we are not the only victims. Military forces, policemen and women, journalists were also targeted and killed.”
Since the Charlie Hebdo attacks in Paris in January, which left 17 people, including six Jews, dead, France has been on high alert against similar terrorist attacks. Synagogues and Jewish schools now have police protection, but many of France’s Jews are openly discussing leaving for Israel amid fears of similar attacks.
The number of Jews leaving France doubled to 7,000 last year, before January’s attack which targeted a Kosher supermarket as well as the Hebdo offices.
And it has emerged that a request by Dan Asmussen made directly to Denmark’s Justice Minister Mette Frederiksen for more security outside synagogues was refused just two months before Omar Abdel Hamid El-Hussein, a Danish-born 22 year old, opened fire in a synagogue killing one man. El-Hussein also killed a spectator at a freedom of speech rally taking place in the city.