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9 DECEMBER 2021 Police appeal for witnesses as BoD & CAA blast BBC over antisemitic incident

BY DAVID SAFFER

The Metropolitan Police Service has called for witnesses following an antisemitic attack on a bus carrying 40 Jewish teenagers on Oxford Street celebrating Chanukah (November 29th).

The furore following the antisemitic incident has seen the Board of Deputies and Campaign Against Antisemitism blast the BBC over its coverage.

CAA has announced a “BBC News: Stop Blaming Jews!” protest outside Broadcasting House on Monday.

Video footage appears to show a group of men making Hitler salutes, spitting, striking windows and threatening a private bus-load of Jewish teens. Footage also shows teenage passengers dancing in the street before being forced back onto the private bus.

The Met have released images of three men to whom the force would like to speak.

“Our investigation into this appalling incident continues,” commented Detective Inspector Kevin Eade. “Despite extensive inquiries over the past week, we are yet to make any arrests, however, I am confident that somebody will recognise the people in these images, and I would urge anyone who does to contact us immediately.”

CAA spokesperson urged members of the public to help the police identify suspects and persons of interest behind a “heinous” antisemitic attack.

“If you recognise these individuals, please contact the police or us on a confidential basis,” a spokesman said.

The Board slated the BBC over “deeply irresponsible journalism” and has called on the organistation to discipline those responsible, correct its report, apologise to victims and undergo training to improve the BBC’s ability to cover the Jewish community with “accuracy, understanding and respect”.

CAA labelled the incident “outrageous”. Like the Board, they have called for action.

CAA want the BBC to reveal evidence that an anti-Muslim slur can be heard on the bus, explain why claims of the slur is “asserted as fact” while antisemitism is “caveated as mere allegation”, investigate why a journalist previously appearing to belittle antisemitism wrote an article on antisemitism appearing to do the same and reiterated a call for them to adopt the International Definition of Antisemitism.

CAA have again offered to provide BBC with antisemitism training.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson condemned footage as “disturbing” at the time.

BoD President Marie van der Zyl slammed “harmful framings and allegations” on the BBC News website and London television broadcast.

“By reducing this obvious antisemitic incident to a mere “allegation”, your report has the effect of casting doubt on the attackers’ antisemitic motivations,” she wrote, adding that the BBC had obscured facts.

Ms van de Zyl continued, “Jewish children and their minders were targeted because they were Jews.”

Noting the video was a “clear and indisputable display” of antisemitic harassment, the Board’s chief added, “Your report does not inform, nor does it educate. In fact, it causes harm. It harms Jews directly, and it also harms societal understanding of antisemitism.”

Ms van de Zyl said a news segment suggested Jewish victims “may have been responsible for instigating the attacks”.

“This is a horrendous allegation, completely bereft of any evidence, and a deeply incendiary insinuation that is tantamount to victim blaming,” she fumed. “The allegations made against the Jewish victims are wholly without substance or merit.”

Both the Board and CAA referenced a BBC report referring to antisemitic acts as mere “allegations” while reporting an unsubstantiated allegation of ‘racial slurs’ about Muslims as fact.

CAA wrote, “The public reacted to the article with fury, with nobody able to identify any “anti-Muslim slurs” in the audio accompanying the video. Despite justifiable calls for the BBC to release the evidence for its assertion, it has failed to do so, instead merely amending the article to refer to an “anti-Muslim slur” in the singular.”

Ms van de Zyl continued, “The victims of antisemitic abuse are now being smeared as racists and therefore somehow less deserving of sympathy or, in the worst case, deserving of the abuse they received. This is deeply irresponsible journalism.”

“The BBC’s refusal to retract and apologise to the victims has caused further distress and compounded the harm,” she added. Ms van de Zyl added that antisemitic incidents were at a record high in the UK so it was “deeply disturbing” the BBC had been “careless” and “cavalier” in its response to the Jewish community and wider public outrage, and “obdurate” in a refusal to retract then apologise to victims. CAA’s Stephen Silverman noted there was a “swell of outrage” in the Jewish community over the antisemitic incident. CAA called on the latest case to be taken seriously after a poll last year revealed two thirds of British Jews were deeply concerned by BBC coverage of matters of Jewish concern and 55% by its handling of antisemitism complaints. Shneor Glitsenstein, Director of the Chabad Israeli Centre Golders Green was on the bus with the teens. In the aftermath of the incident, he commented, “We were attacked on the streets of London for being Jewish and celebrating Chanukah. While our bus contained no references to Israel, we were clearly a Jewish group. The young men who surrounded us were not engaged in political protest, this was a bigoted antisemitic attack in the heart of London, seen by dozens of others, who stood by silently.”

Police reportedly stopped the bus in Grosvenor Place to check on the welfare of the passengers.

Anyone with information should contact the police on 101 or the Charing Cross Hate Crime Unit on 07900 608 252 (Ref no: 6184/29Nov) or tweet @MetCC or e-mail Campaign Against Antisemitism at investigations@antisemitism.org

Shuls part of Omicron mask measures

BY ADAM MOSES

Synagogues in England are part of new regulations regarding wearing masks announced at a Downing Street briefing on Wednesday evening after the emergence of the Omicron variant.

Shuls had a choice about wearing masks for services under relaxed measures but that changes tomorrow when face coverings are compulsory in most public indoor venues including places of worship. There are exemptions in venues where it is not practical to wear one.

The United Synagogue has stated that face masks are now required for all attendees (apart from the service leader or speaker) for all indoor services and activities. This is apart from when eating or drinking, or for those aged under 11, and will take effect as of tomorrow.

On Shabbat or for any busy service or activity, all attendees are recommended to take a lateral flow test shortly before coming to shul (just before the start of Shabbat in that case), and only attend if their test is negative.

Service leaders and speakers who do not wear a face mask must do a lateral flow test, and maintain additional distancing from congregants. All other guidance remains in place.

From Monday, those who can will be advised to work from home. And from Wednesday, subject to parliamentary approval, the NHS Covid Pass on the NHS App will become mandatory for entry into settings where large crowds gather including unseated indoor events with 500 or more attendees. This measure could impact larger synagogues. The rule also applies to unseated outdoor events with 4,000 or more attendees and any event with 10,000 or more attendees.

People will be able to demonstrate proof of two vaccine doses via the app.

To date the United Synagogue has released information on implications of new regulations for Jewish communities across the United Kingdom. An update is expected.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed England will move to Plan B following the rapid spread of the Omicron variant in the UK.

Tougher measures were “proportionate and responsible” as the new variant “could lead to a big rise in hospitalisations and therefore sadly in deaths,” he said, during the press conference.

Regarding work, in Scotland, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has told employers that staff who worked from home at the start of the pandemic can do so again, until at least mid-January.

In Wales, employers are encouraged to let people work from home where possible.

In Northern Ireland, ministers said more people working from home would help to reduce the risk of infection inside and outside the workplace.

Guidance on changes will be available on www.gov.uk in the coming days.

9 DECEMBER 2021 TO ADVERTISE CALL 020 3906 8488

NEWS 15

Israeli mum of five recovering after terror attack

BY ADAM MOSES

An Israeli mum of five is recovering from stab wounds following a terror attack in Sheikh Jarrah in east Jerusalem on Wednesday.

Moriah Cohen, 26, was treated by emergency services before being taken to Hadassah Mount Scopus Hospital. She is in a stable condition.

According to police, Cohen was walking with her children, including a baby, when a Palestinian female teenager stabbed her in the back. Her children were not injured.

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett praised the quick actions of security forces after arresting the teenage assailant.

“I wish a hasty recovery to the woman who was on her way to kindergarten with her young children. We will not allow terrorism to lift its head,” Bennett said.

Moriah’s husband, Dvir Cohen, received news from a neighbour about the attack whilst on reserve duty in the IDF.

Dvir said his wife was doing well and his family together with Jewish residents were being harassed by neighbours. “I expect the police to be more present in the area,” he reportedly said, adding that his family would not move from the area.

The suspect, a member of a well-known Arab family in Sheikh Jarrah, was arrested in a nearby all-girls school she attends soon after running from the scene of the attack and taken into custody.

Her parents were also arrested with the school’s head teacher, a teacher and another student for questioning.

The perpetrator’s family claimed a threat over eviction was behind the attack. The teen’s family is among several Palestinian families due to be evicted after a court ruling over ownership.

Protests with police sparked hostilities with Hamas earlier this year.

The attack came days after a car-ramming attack in the West Bank and two weeks after a stabbing in the Old City of Jerusalem.

Security officials said that recent terror attacks are being carried out by lone assailants.

Anne Frank memorial among global antisemitic attacks

BY ADAM MOSES

The Anne Frank memorial in Boise, Idaho was reportedly vandalised with swastikas and antisemitic graffiti last Saturday.

Dan Prinzing, Executive Director of the Wassmuth Centre described the incident 12 months after it was last defaced as “a sad day” and questioned why “hate has become so emboldened.”

Boise Mayor Lauren McLean condemned the attack on Twitter, stating, “The antisemitic messages contained in the graffiti found along the Greenbelt put a literal and figurative stain on our community. This will not be tolerated. Hate speech is reprehensible. It is not who (we) are as a city and is not part of our shared values. I invite all good people of Boise to stand with me, as I stand with our Jewish neighbours, to rebuke this hate.”

Chief Ryan Lee of the Boise Police Department said, “We are reaching out to Jewish leaders in our community to let them know we will not stand for such hateful and abhorrent behaviour in our city.”

The memorial, dedicated in 2002, is at Boise’s Wassmuth Centre for Human Rights.

The crime is amongst the latest antisemitic incidents around the world reported by World Jewish Congress, who have condemned all hate attacks, in its November 2021 monthly review.

Amongst a plethora of incidents worldwide a white supremacist sticker was spotted on a Jewish grave in Tasmania, Australia.

The vandalism was reportedly discovered by a Jewish mother and daughter visiting the cemetery.

A journalist on one of Brazil’s largest broadcasters said on television that the only way Brazil could match Germany’s wealth was by killing its Jews.

Journalist Amanda Klein reportedly asked Jose Carlos Bernardi, of Jovem Pan how Brazil could reach the economic development enjoyed by Germany. Bernardi caused outrage in his response, reportedly replying, “Only by attacking Jews will we get there. If we kill a gazillion Jews and appropriate their economic power, then Brazil will get rich. That’s what happened with Germany after the war.”

Bernardi has apologised for his “unfortunate remarks” in a statement, adding that the intention was to highlight the injustice done to Jews by Germany not recommend it.

WJC-affiliated Jewish Confederation of Brazil said Bernardi’s remarks caused “distress and pain” to Jews and stressed it was offensive to compare political issues to the Holocaust.

WJC condemned Bulgarian media outlets who accused the head of the Bulgarian Jewish community Dr. Alexander Oscar of crimes. Oscar is renowned for fighting hate speech and discrimination.

WJC called on Bulgarian authorities to protect the local Jewish community.

The President of Colombia Ivan Duque has condemned police cadets who dressed up as Nazis in a ceremony to honour Germany. Any apology for Nazism was “unacceptable”, he said.

Duque confirmed those responsible

The Anne Frank memorial in Boise, Idaho PHOTO: WIKIMEDIA

would be held to account, the academy head was dismissed.

The ambassadors of Israel and Germany called on Colombia to educate people about the Holocaust.

In Lyon, France, a teenager was arrested after brandishing a knife in front of a Jewish high school while shouting “dirty Jews”.

Rabbi Menachem Margolin, European Jewish Association chairman called for education against antisemitism. He noted, “The fact that something like this is happening in 2021 in France means Europe is failing miserably at preventing the recurrence of violent antisemitism.”

An 11-year-old Jewish boy was allegedly attacked by two 14-year-olds near Paris. It is understood the suspects will be charged with antisemitic violence.

It is believed a suspect stated they were unaware of a Nazi salute, the other knew the gesture. Lawyers suggested the pair were influenced by a video game.

In Germany, a group of 150 neo-Nazis marched in residential areas to commemorate Rudolf Hess.

“The neo-Nazis show their contempt for our history and the victims of the Shoah,” commented Josef Schuster, Central Council of Jews in Germany president and a WJC vice president. “Even more important are the counter rallies. I am happy about every courageous person who opposes rightwing extremists.”

In Italy, politician Fabio Meroni, from Lissone, referred to life senator and Holocaust survivor Liliana Segre by her tatto from Auschwitz concentration camp.

The President of Milan’s Jewish community Walker Meghnagi condemned the “ignoble attack” on Segre. It was not “tolerable” for a person holding public office to use such “vile” terms” he said.

South African Sports Minister Nathi Mthethwa called on the Miss South Africa Organisation and contestant Lalela Mswane to withdraw from a Miss Universe competition in Eilat.

WJC-affiliated South African Jewish Board of Deputies blasted Mthethwa.

“South Africa has diplomatic ties and extensive commercial trade relations with Israel,” they noted. “It engages in events such as this one, such as hosting the Israeli Davis Cup team in 2018. The way we influence situations is to engage, not to withdraw. The SAJBD believes that closing doors merely isolates us from contributing.”

In Oviedo, Spain, vandals defaced a Holocaust memorial.

WJC-affiliated Federation of Jewish Communities of Spain called on Spanish authorities to condemn the acts and implement educational measures.

In the United States, residents in Texas received antisemitic pamphlets filled with pebbles alleging Jewish leaders controlled the media and the COVID-19 agenda.

In New York City, authorities are investigating a Jewish man being assaulted and a bottle being thrown at a Jewish pregnant woman in in Crown Heights, New York.

Anti-vaccination protesters in New York were also seen wearing yellow stars and displaying swastika signs during a demonstration outside a Jewish Democrat assemblyman’s office.

Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz condemned the incident. ”To openly display Nazi symbols outside the office of a Jewish legislator is despicable,” he said. “People are free to express their opinions on vaccine policy and on any issue, but I draw the line at swastikas.”

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio slammed the symbols as “an insult to our Jewish community, especially our Holocaust survivors who have endured real pain”. He added, “This is what antisemitism looks like.”

In Kiev, Ukraine, a menorah was vandalised whilst in Dnipro, five teenagers were arrested suspected of knocking over a menorah. And in Nikolayev, near Odessa, a large menorah was damaged.

Time to look again

OPINION PIECE BY ROBERT FESTENSTEIN

There is little doubt that the attack on the ‘Chanukah bus’ last week amounted to a deliberate attack on Jewish children. What is also beyond doubt is that the BBC were desperate to make us believe something different.

One of the entries on the BBC website (as commentary to the video) said:

“An alleged anti-Semitic incident on a bus in central London is being treated as a hate crime, police have said.

According to police, the abuse took place on Oxford Street on Monday night, when people on the bus had been out celebrating the Jewish festival of Hanukkah.

A video on social media appears to show a group of men spitting and abusing passengers.”

The video is very clear about what the attackers are about. They are clearly seen spitting, throwing Nazi salutes and one of them takes his shoe off and uses that to strike the bus. How is a Nazi salute alleged? How can a video which shows the spitting and shoe strike be described as ‘appears’?

The answer is both simple and sinister. Simple because the BBC too often only acknowledges an attack as anti-Semitic if it meets their pre-determined criteria which are all about the perpetrator. The attack can only properly be described as anti-Semitic if the attacker is white and has far right sympathies. If these conditions are not met, then the qualified words are moved in, as with the video commentary – ‘alleged’ and ‘appears’.

Not only were the BBC conditions not met, but they were also faced with the difficulty that this attack on Jews was undertaken by people who were not white. To make matters worse the man using his shoe served to narrow down his likely identity. In Arab cultures, the shoe has long been used as the object of insults due to its association with dirt and with being put on the foot, the lowest part of the body.

Faced with their worst nightmare – video evidence of a man likely to be a Muslim attacking a bus full of Jewish children – the BBC resorted to the well-used strategy of victim blaming. In addition to using qualifying words they then lied about what was said by the children by claiming that they were using anti-Muslim language. Suddenly the attack was less important, what was more significant was the language used by the children on the bus.

And that’s how it’s done. When faced with evidence of an anti-Semitic attack which involved at least one Muslim man, the BBC smoothly turned it around to blame the Jews. Suddenly the focus was on what was said on the bus and the attack became less significant.

THE [BBC] CHARTER SETS OUT THE BBC’S PUBLIC PURPOSES AS FOLLOWS:

1. To provide impartial news and information to help people understand and engage with the world around them. 2. To support learning for people of all ages. 3. To show the most creative, highest quality and distinctive output and services. 4. To reflect, represent and serve the diverse communities of all of the United

Kingdom’s nations and regions and, in doing so, support the creative economy across the United Kingdom. 5. To reflect the United Kingdom, its culture and values to the world.

The BBC has manifestly ignored these principals. The Zionist Central Council in Manchester has been following this and other reports for some time and it is time for a formal complaint to be made. Our complaint to the BBC is as follows: a) You mis-reported the bus attack by the use of qualifying words when the evidence was there to make such qualification unnecessary and breaching the requirement of impartiality of principle 1. b) You failed to report the significance of the use of the man’s shoe in Arab culture c) You fabricated that there had been the use of anti-Muslim language by children on the bus as it was being attacked in breach of principles 3 and 5 d) You have wholly failed to serve the

Jewish community when its members have come under attack, in breach of principle 4.

We await the results of your investigation with interest and in the meantime repeat our concern that the BBC has an in-built prejudice against Jews which sadly so clearly manifested itself last week.

Robert Festenstein is a practising solicitor and has been the principal of his Salford based firm for over 20 years. He has fought BDS motions to the Court of Appeal and is President of the Zionist Central Council in Manchester which serves to protect and defend the democratic State of Israel.

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HEAD OF FUNDRAISING

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We are seeking a Head of Fundraising who would like to make a significant difference to Jewish student life on campus and to manage and develop all aspects of our fundraising.

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Charity Number: 1126031