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September 26, 2003/Elul 29 5764, Vol. 56, No. 1
A difficult year past, a hopeful time aheadGLEN TOBIAS and ABRAHAM FOXMANAs we reflect on the year passed and look to Rosh Hashana 5764, we begin the New Year with great hope and the sense that we are entering a momentous stage in the history of our people and for the world.We leave behind a year of great turmoil, a world still shattered by violence and terrorism. Yet we look forward to a future with the potential for democracy and plurality to vanquish the forces of evil and totalitarianism. It is hard to resist the feeling that we truly stand at a historic crossroads, and that decisions and actions taken today will be of great consequence for future generations. For the Jewish people, the war in Iraq came with mixed feelings. While Jews in the United States were divided on the need for war, our fear that the war could stir anti-Semitism was realized, as Israel and the Jews suddenly became scapegoats for some politicians and pundits seeking to blame us for pushing the United States to war. Israel endured another difficult year, with the continuation of the campaign of deadly terrorism that has killed civilians and shattered families. Under constant threat of attack from Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah and others bent on its total annihilation, Israel continued to draw international condemnation and scorn, calls for boycotts and divestment, and criticism at the United Nations and in other world bodies, and for what? For attempting to ensure the security of its citizens, Israel and Prime Minister Ariel Sharon have been labeled apartheid, racist and the locus of evil. We had reason for hope when negotiations resumed with the new Palestinian Prime Minister, Mahmoud Abbas. But Palestinian President Yasser Arafat and his terrorism-steeped Fatah movement would have none of it, and we end this year with Abbas out, and Arafat regaining strength. The appointment of Ahmed Qurei, a longtime Arafat ally, as the new prime minister offered little hope for any movement on the "road map" for peace in the near term, yet we remain hopeful for progress in the year to come. Global anti-Semitism continues to be a major concern. The year saw the continuation of anti-Jewish incidents in Europe, with synagogues and Jewish cemeteries coming under attack and identifiably Jewish individuals targeted for harassment and violence. Jews and Israelis continued to be targets of global terrorism. In Mombasa, Kenya, an attack by Al Qaeda on a Jewish-owned resort, which killed three Israeli tourists and 10 Kenyans, was coordinated with an unsuccessful missile attack on an Israeli chartered civilian airliner. In Morocco, Al Qaeda terrorists carried out deadly coordinated bombing attacks near a Jewish community center, reminding us that far-flung communities can come under attack at any time. In the Arab world, newspapers and the media continued to feed a steady diet of anti-Semitism to the masses, especially in Egypt, where the airing of a 41-part television series based on the 19th century forgery "Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion" during Ramadan served as a wake-up call to the problem of anti-Jewish incitement in the Arab world. Sadly, other anti-Jewish canards continued to fester. The big lie about Sept. 11, blaming Jews and Israel for having "advance knowledge" or complicity in the attacks, was still accepted as fact through wide swaths of the Muslim and Arab world. And the age-old charge of "deicide" - something that we had hoped would not come back after 50 years of positive interfaith relations - reappeared in a film directed and produced by the actor Mel Gibson, his script based on traditional passion narratives of old. We still remain hopeful that Gibson will hear our concerns and consider revisions to his film, so that the end result will not recall this dangerous anti-Semitic canard. There were some positive developments in the fight against these perils. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe convened a groundbreaking conference on global anti-Semitism in Vienna, where 33 European nations finally acknowledged the scope of the problem and pledged to take action to ensure that anti-Semitism does not see resurgence on a continent that witnessed the horrors of the Holocaust. And there were developments in the war on terror. Abu Abbas, the mastermind of the Achille Lauro hijacking, was finally brought to justice by U.S. Special Forces in Iraq. The U.S. Treasury Department, working in conjunction with our Arab allies in the war on terror, moved to stem funding for terrorist groups that seek the destruction of Israel and the United States, and the Bush administration pressured nations such as Syria to stop providing a haven for terrorist groups. The E.U. voted to stop funding to Hamas. And finally, after waiting for more than a decade for progress in the AMIA bombing investigation in Argentina, the arrest warrants against Iranian diplomatic officials in the attacks offered hope of a resolution to that long-unsolved case. As we celebrate the beginning of a new year, let us take comfort in these important developments and hope that they herald a new determination against hatred, violence and terror. May the Jewish people continue to show solidarity and resolve with the people of Israel and Jewish communities the world over as we continue on the path toward enduring peace and security for our people. Glen Tobias is national chairman of the Anti-Defamation League. Abraham Foxman is ADL national director. |
