Op-Ed: The Top 10 Anti-Semites of 2012

Published: Monday, December 31, 2012 10:23 PM  Arutz Sheva 7

A background check on the Wiesenthal Center's 2012 list of top anti-Semites shows many contenders for the top 10, resulting in an impressive list

Jerry Sobol

The writer has a B.A. Degree in 20th century European History and a Masters in International Relations from The City College of New York. He is a staunch Zionist and has been writing articles on Israel and Jewish concerns for 40 years, blogs at Israeli Advocate.

► More from this writer

Every year around this time we’re inundated with stories about the top 10 people or events of the previous 12 months. Holding to this tradition, this past Thursday, the Simon Wiesenthal Center listed their top 10 anti-Semites of 2012.

Mind you, the list is highly subjective and no doubt when we speak of anti-Semites and Haters of Israel, many of you have your own favorites, but this group is definitely right up there with the worst. Unsurprisingly, Europe once again is well characterized, as is the Middle East. Likewise, nothing unifies both the far left and the far right better than Jew-hating, and both groups are well represented in this year’s list. Without further ado, let’s get into it.

 

Working backwards at number 10 is long term favorite and anti-Semite extraordinaire, Louis Farrakhan. In October he came out with his latest accusations: “In Washington right next to the Holocaust museum is the Federal Reserve where they print the money. He asks, is that an accident?” In my opinion, that novel remark alone should have earned him a higher rating, but he must have lost points at Wiesenthal for being unimaginative and repeating the age old mantra, “Jews control the media.”

Proudly coming in at #9 is a new one to many, Der Spiegel columnist and editor of the left wing publication Freitag, Jakob Augstein.

 

In his publications, Augstein frequently castigates Israel’s orthodox community being akin to Islamic terrorists and sees Israel as a nuclear threat to the world. In  September, Die Welt columnist Henryk Broder, Germany’s leading authority on anti-Semitism, described Augstein the following way: “He’s a pure anti-Semite, an anti-Semitic piece of work, an offender by conviction who only missed the opportunity to make his career with the Gestapo because he was born after the war. He certainly would have had what it takes.”

Norway’s Trond Ali Linstadt, a convert to Islam, was listed at #8. Also lacking originality, he warns his readers, “beware of the Jews” and the “influence they have in newspapers, in other media, and in many political organs.” Why is he important enough to make the list? Until international pressure forced him to rescind, the King of Norway, Harald V had slated him to receive a medal for “good works.” One must assume the King agrees with Linstadt that suicide bombings are good and God wants Jews to live in exile as punishment.

 

In 7th position, representing the right wing Hungarian Jobbik Party, is Marton Gyongyosi. This sweetheart of a guy, a flashback of historical Hungarian anti-Semitism recently had this to say to the Hungarian Parliament:

“I think now is the time to assess how many people there are of Jewish origin here, and especially in the Hungarian parliament who represent a certain national security risk of Hungary.” The son of a diplomat who grew up in the Middle East; Egypt, Iraq, and Afghanistan, his office is replete with souvenirs from these countries.

 

#6 belongs to the founder of the Greek pro-fascist party, Golden Dawn, Nikolaos Michaloliakos. A Holocaust denier of the first degree, he recently told an interviewer that six million Jews did not die in the Holocaust. He further denies there were gas chambers or ovens at Nazi death camps and has a penchant for giving the Nazi salute, which he recently gave at the Athens City Council.

 

What list of anti-Semites could ever be complete without a delegation from that bastion of historical Jewish hatred, the Ukraine. As such, two people; Oleg Tyagnibok from the fascist Svoboda Party and MP Igor Miroshnichenko share the inglorious 5th position.

 

Tyagnibok has called in the past for purges of the approximately 400,000 Jews living in Ukraine. With the despicable and sordid treatment Jews have received over the centuries in the Ukraine, it does make one wonder why are 400,000 still living there?

 

His cohort, politician Igor Miroshnichenko, sparked an outrage this past year when he denounced Hollywood actress Mila Kunis as a dirty Jewess.

 

The Wiesenthal Center reserved the 4th spot for fans of European soccer. Before a match in Italy between an Italian club, Lazio and a mainly Jewish team from England, Tottenham Hotspur, Jewish players and fans were physically attacked, one being sent to the hospital with severe stab wounds. A self proclaimed fascist from the Lazio team, Pablo Di Canio, celebrated each goal by tauntingly delivering a fascist salute. So much for good sportsmanship.

 

Not to be outdone, during a match in London against the same Jewish team, British fans of their opponent, West Ham, rained down anti-Semitic chants in support of the aforementioned Di Canio and came up with a few of their own such as: “Adolf Hitler’s coming for you” and “You’re getting gassed in the morning.” To emphasize their disdain they made hissing noises like the sound of a gas chamber. Even for the British, infamous for boorish behavior at sporting events, this was over the top.

 

Moving along this ignominious list,. for defending his country in the face of incessant rocket attacks from Gaza, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu drew the wrath of Brazilian cartoonist Carlos Latuff.

Latuff is famous for depicting Jewish people and Israeli leaders in the most contemptible ways. Many people including this writer believe political cartoons have a greater negative stereotype upon Jews than lengthy essays. For that reason alone Latuff was placed at #3 for 2012.

 

At #2 is a conglomerate of Jewish hatred led by a little imp espousing Jewish derision in mammoth proportions, Iranian President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Among a myriad of anti-Jewish invective over the years, this past July he’s quoted as saying: “It has now been some 400 years that a horrendous Zionist clan has been ruling the major world affairs.” When taken in context with past pronouncements calling for the complete annihilation of Israel, some might argue this Holocaust denying anti-Semite is actually moderating. But not to worry, if he is, the head of Iran’s armed forces, Major General Hassan Fiouzabadi isn’t. This past August Fiouzabadi is quoted saying: “The Iranian nation is standing for its cause, the full annihilation of Israel.”

 

Finally, here it is, the Wiesenthal winner of the 2012 Grand Prize for Jewish hatred. This coveted dishonor is shared by Muhammad Badie and Futouh Abd al-Nabi Mansour, two religious leaders belonging to Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood. The folks at Wiesenthal claim Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood produced the worst anti-Semitic/anti-Israel slurs over the past year. Badie, the Brotherhood’s supreme spiritual guide bemoaned “Jewish control” and the “spread of corruption on earth.” What’s his remedy?” Unremitting Holy Jihad.

His partner in Jewish detestation, Mansour took it a step further delivering a nationally televised sermon calling for Allah to “destroy the Jews and their supporters.” According to the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), he went on to say: “Oh Allah, disperse them and rend them asunder, Oh Allah, demonstrate your might and greatness upon them.”

 

Interestingly, last month’s “mediator” of the Israeli/Hamas ceasefire, Brotherhood strongman and Egyptian President, Mohamed Morsi watched the sermon at a Mosque and was heard uttering the term “Amin” (Amen) to every fiery invective hurled at Israel and the Jewish people.

Without equivocation, there are countless others that could have cracked this 2012 list. In no particular order, these would have been mine:

 

1-Hassan Nasrallah-The head of the terrorist organization Heibulah: “If we searched the entire world for a person more cowardly, despicable, weak and feeble in psyche, mind, ideology and religion, we would not find anyone like the Jew. Notice I do not say the Israeli.”

 

2-Khaled Meshaal-Political leader of Hamas: “Palestine”

shouted Mashaal to his audience, was Arabic, Islamic, from the Mediterranean Sea to the Jordan River; his audience chanted its support.

 

3-Ayatollah Ali Khamenei-Supreme leader of Iran: “It is a jurisprudential justification to kill all the Jews and annihilate Israel, and in that, the Islamic government of Iran must take the helm.”

 

4-Mahmoud Abbas-President of Fatah: “We should put our internal fighting aside and raise our rifles only against the Israeli occupation,” said Abbas in a speech in Ramallah.”

5-Ismail Haniyeh-Hamas chief in Gaza: "The Jews are the most despicable and contemptible nation to crawl upon the face of the Earth, because they have displayed hostility to Allah.

 

6-Recep Tayyip Erdogan-Prime Minister of Turkey: “Israel is perpetrating inhuman actions which would bring it to self-destruction. Allah will sooner or later punish those who transgress the rights of innocents."

 

7-The Muslim Student Union (MSU)-Anti Israel/Jewish on campus radicals which inspire verbal harassment of Jewish students, create posters of the Star of David dripping with blood, and make accusations that Jews deliberately kill non-Jewish children for nefarious purposes.

 

8-The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR)-The Council on American-Islamic Relations has a long record of anti-Israel rhetoric. It has accused Israel of genocide and described Israel as a terrorist state.

 

9-Israel Palestine Mission-Presbyterian Church USA-IPMN-PCUSA: “We have been concerned by the transformation of the IPMN-PCUSA into a gathering place for anti-Jewish tirades,” Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA)uuu Chair Dr. Conrad Giles said in a letter to Church headquarters. “We cannot remain silent while a group chartered by a mainstream church tolerates language that reflects the darkest times in the Christian-Jewish encounter. These attitudes cannot find a home in the Presbyterian Church (USA).”

 

10-The Vatican-The Roman Catholic Church hailed UNESCO’s decision to grant the world heritage status to the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. The Palestinian agenda at UNESCO is the de-Judaization of the land of Israel by Islamizing the holy sites. Oras Hamdan Taha, the Palestinian minister who deals with antiquities and gets funds from UNESCO, made clear, “it’s writing or rewriting the history of Palestine.”

Less known is that the Vatican institutions are collaborating with the Palestinian autocracy. They recently also declared their support for waving a Palestinian flag over over the Temple Mount in the heart of ancient Jerusalem. Next in line is Rachel’s Tomb, Judaism’s third most holy site.

 

From the Grand Ayatollahs in Iran to the hallowed halls of the United Nations, 2012 was a good year for the anti-Semites of the world. I won't hold my breath but hopefully 2013 will see a reversal of this trend.