​הצהרת אנדרה פרחי (ICJW) בנציבות זכויות האדם של האו"ם, 1988 (אנ')

couriste Published by Human Rights Internet Harvard Law School, Cambridge MA, USA. Statement made by Andrée Farhi of the International Council of Jewish Women at the 44th session of the Commission on Human Rights on item 21 of the agenda entitled : Measures to be taken against all totalitarian or other ideologies and practices, including Nazi, Fascist and neo-Fascist, based on racial or ethnic exclusiveness or intolerance, hatred, terror, systematic denial of human rights and fundamental freedoms, or which have such consequences. Feb.1988 Thank you, Mr Chairman, Manifestations of racial, ethnic or religious intolerance resulting from the spreading of extremist ideologies have become a pervading phenomenon in many parts of the world to-day. And yet never before, have the words "human rights" been pronounced so often by everybody, everywhere. Mr Chairman, I would like to briefly analyze the recent developments of an ideology which clearly belongs to the list in- cluded in this agenda item : I am referring to anti-Semitism. During the last few years, there has been in many count- ries a great number of manifestations against Jewish targets, in- cluding acts of terrorism. This situation culminated between 1979 and 1982 and has since evolved with irregularity, depending on poli- tical events related to the Middle Eastern conflict or to the East/ West confrontation. But the strangest thing is the fact that attacks against the Jews and the State of Israel in many newspapers, tele- vision programs and unfortunately, in this very room, have gone far beyond normal condemnations of a political or military nature. A new language seems to have flourished, borrowed unequivocally from the worse anti-Semitic literature. Moreover, distorted words, like " genocide ", " crimes against humanity ", " racist international Zionist ideology ", together with odious lies and exaggerations which are an affront to intelligence and common sense, have been repeated over and over again and heard by everyone of us here. Strangely enough, this unacceptable language has never been applied to any of the plethora of states who are flagrantly violating the most fundamental human rights day after day in so many parts of the world. This detestable rhetoric is obviously ac- ceptable only when it refers to the Jewish State. And I wonder, Mr Chairman, does that mean that the era of shameful anti-Semitism is over ? At the end of World War II, the discovery of the Holocaust had resulted in discrediting henceforth any form of anti-Semitism. But to-day, due to the very skillful displacement of the image of the Jew-as-a-victim to that of the Jew-as-a-persecutor, old preju- dices are given free rein again. Of course, the word anti-Semitism has still forbidden connotations. Too many still remember the tra- gic consequences of this infamous ideology. But anti-Zionism is a much less discredited term, to put it mildly. Certainly, not all anti-Zionists are anti-Semites and anti-Semitism itself is a complex issue. However, whatever the aims of the anti-Zionists, the effect of their attitude may turn out to be anti-Semitic. Indeed, at a time when practically all Jews rally around Israel, one cannot call Zion- ists "racists?", "fascists? and "Nazis", without this rubbing off on all Jews. These words are just as offensive to-day as the words "usurer?", "moneylender", "parasite" were in the past. Their use with regard to Zionism creates an atmosphere inciting to hatred and true anti-Semitism. Sentences which use the word "Zionist", not as it really means and was understood by the founding Fathers of Zion, but as it appears in the forged Tsarist "Protocols of the Elders of Zion are absolutely typical of the old anti-Semitic stereotypes. What is relatively new nowadays is the fact that anti-Semi- tism has become a political phenomenon. Since the prevailing value in to-day's world is the State - a political concept - and that Is- rael is the only political framework the Jews have as an entityy, it is therefore important to discredit it. There are of course different anti-Semitic trends in the world to-day : 1) There are still Nazi groups. They are, however, an in- significant factor in terms of power and number. Yet let me recall the impressive statement made in this very room by the Representa- tive of the World Jewish Congress on Friday night, substantiating that some notorious Nazi War criminals still live and reside peace- fully in certain countries, protected by the authorities. 2) As for the Neo-Nazi and Right-Extremists' groups, although it would be exaggerated to talk of a neo-Nazi revival, yet they have in various occasions resorted to violence and terror. These groups do not attack only Jews, in fact their main targets are different ethnic groups and immigrants. 3) Another stand is that of the Revisionists or, better called, Falsifiers of history. This movement started out in the 50s in the US but acquired momentum in France, due to the works and ac- tion of a university teacher called Robert Faurisson. These people deliberately distort historical facts by denying the Holocaust. They claim that the gas chambers are pure fiction and the extermination of 6 million Jews a lie intended to attract sympathy for the Zionist cause. These pseudo-historians, not content with the vilification of the living, want to tear from the collective memory of peoples the tragic history of the past in which millions of human beings lived, suffered and were annihilated in the most inhumane circum - stances only because they were born Jews. 4) Another trend, which is at the moment primarily a French phenomenon, but could well spread to other countries, is that of the "New Intellectual Right". Its ideology is extremely dangerous because of its sophistication which can easily seduce intellectuals. It advocates the inequality of men on the basis of race and culture and holds that only the Elite is chosen to rule. Judeo-Christian civilization is rejected; Judaism, in particular, with its egalitar- ian values, is accused of bearing responsability for the philosophy of human rights which contributes to the enslavement of humanity, whereas Indo-European civilization, that is, Aryan civilization, is enhanced as the true source of Western culture. 5) Finally, but this is by no means an exhaustive list, there is what may turn out to be the most dangerous pattern of anti-Jewish behaviour: I am referring to the one I mentioned earlier and - 14 - which appears in the guise of anti-Zionism. It may be called Left- wing anti-Semitism. Indeed, anti-Semitism is not only a Right-wing phenomenon; there is a Left-wing anti-Jewish attitude as well which goes back to the 19th century and the first Socialists.How- ever, in Western countries, this stand, to-day, is mostly the pre- serve of what is called the New-Left and of the radical groups which have emerged from it and are supported by countries I do not wish to name here. It would be preferable to describe this state of mind as anti-Judaism instead of anti-Semitism, since it claims to be anti- Zionist in the name of anti-racism. This stand is only seemingly political. In reality, it often derives, whether consciously or not, from religious attitudes which reflect ideas from medieval Christian anti-Semitism. Once again, I would like to repeat that anti-Zionism is not always anti-Semitic. Some people call abusively all criticism of Israel anti-Semitic. This is not true. However, when one finds in the anti-Zionist modern vocabulary and imagery the same entire arsenal of anti-Semitic weaponry and the same old traditional anti-Semitic themes and stereotypes as in past centuries it is obvious that we are confronted with the same original racial prejudices and that anti-Zionism is only a cloak behind which gen- uine anti-Semitism hides itself. A recent example of this, despite Glasnost, is the pub- lication of a book entitled : " The Class Essence of Zionism : An Historiographic Review of Literature.. " by A.Romanenko, published in 50.000 copies by Lenizdat, which tries to justify the expulsion of the Jews from Spain and Portugal in the 15th and 16th centuries and accuses the Jews themselves of instigating the anti-Jewish pogroms in Russia and of having cooperated in causing Hitler's attack on the Soviet Union. Further example of backlash to the recent liberalisation of Soviet society is the appearance of spontaneous nationalistic groups, such as Pamyat, Spasenie and Otochesto, which blame the Jews for all Russia's ills and circulate venomous anti-Semitic propaganda, including the Protocols of the Elders of Zion. These absurd theories, Mr Chairman, are hardly consistent with those of the Ultra-Right accusing the Jews of being revolu- tionaries and egalitarians and of being responsible for the philo- sophy of human rights, let alone for the Russian October Revolution. And one may ask : are the Jews " chauvinists" and Fascists, or are they "cosmopolitan" and revolutionary ? Can they be both at the same time ? In conclusion, Mr Chairman, one can say that, paradoxi- cally enough, to-day, groups belonging to completely opposed ideo- logies stand together in their fight against the Jew, as a person. Anti-Semitism is therefore a phenomenon which can be seen as trans- cending ideologies. It has probably become one of the last themes capable of uniting all types of Extremism, from the Far-Right to the Far-Left. - 15 - These paradoxes should be exposed in the name of logic, likelihood and truth. The unnatural aspects of anti-Jewish alliance which have but one aim, to isolate and debase the Jews, must be emphasized. The world should not let the same ideology of intole- rance and racial contempt that has led in the past to horror and to the almost total annihilation of a people show its ugly face once more, lest what has happened before will happen again. The same words, Mr Chairman, will lead inevitably to the same deeds. Thank you, Mr Chairman. Statement made by Andrée Farhi of the International Council of Jewish Women at the 44th session of the Commission on Human Rights American University - Cairo June, 1948 A mixed class of Jewish Moslem and Christian Students at Graduation Ceremony Photograph given graciously by Mrs. Ora Shweitzer née Clairette Zuckerman) - 16 -