Warning from Israel: Anti -Semitism in Austria at a frightening climax!

Warning from Israel: Anti -Semitism in Austria at a frightening climax!

The current situation of anti -Semitism in Europe is worrying. Michal Cotler-Wunsh, Israel's special representative for the fight against anti-Semitism, has warned in a recent statement on the situation in Austria. It describes a worldwide increase in anti -Semitic incidents as "tsunami", which has been noticeable since October 7, 2023. Cotler-Wunsh attributes this development to a multi-front war that is targeted against the state of Israel, and names groups such as Hamas, Houthi, Hisbollah and Iran as driving forces.

In Austria, Cotler-Wunsh sees the situation compared to other European countries than less bad. Nevertheless, the number of anti -Semitic incidents remains alarming. Last year, the Israeli cultural community of 1,520 registered anti -Semitic incidents reported, which corresponds to an increase of 32 percent compared to 2023. In 2023, an increase of 60 percent was already recorded compared to 2022. These figures show the worrying trend of anti -Semitism in the region.

the IRA definition as an important instrument

A central aspect in the fight against anti -Semitism is the recognition of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (Ihra) working definition of anti -Semitism. Austria officially accepted this definition in April 2017. Cotler-Wunsh emphasizes that the IRA definition not only includes hatred of Jews, but also takes into account the delegitimation, demonization and the use of double standards towards Israel. Use of these criteria are also in practice when criticism of Israel is formulated that does not differ from that in other countries.

The IHRA accepted its definition on May 26, 2016 in Bucharest and has since been used by various organizations and institutions, including the European Parliament and the United States. The European Commission has been using this definition since January 2017 to identify and combat anti -Semitic actions more effectively. This cooperation between international organizations and states is crucial for the future prevention of anti -Semitism.

Anti -Semitism recognize and combat

To effectively combat anti -Semitism, it is important to recognize different manifestations. These include:

• calls to kill or damage Jews;
• false or dehuman accusations against Jewish persons;
• the denial of the Holocaust;
• Collective responsibility of Jews for the actions of the state of Israel.

These and other characteristics show how complex anti-Semitism can be and how crucial the application of the IRA definition is to concretize and combat these phenomena.

The international community, especially the European Member States, are faced with the challenge of accepting the IRA definition in its legal and political framework in order to consistently counter anti-Semitism. Cotler-Wunsh demands a broader social identification of all forms of anti-Semitism to successfully combat it and to promote the values ​​of tolerance and humanity.

For more information about anti-Semitism and the IRA definition, read the reports on Exxpress.at bundeskanzleramt and Holocaustremembrance.com .