Europe's dark, full-bodied specialty: Labeling Jews - new ad

On Sunday, Rabbi Shmuley Boteach's World Values Network kept the conversation going with a full-page anti-BDS ad, which was published in the New York Times.

The advertisement features a large bottle of wine labeled with a Jewish star reminiscent of the stars worn in Nazi Germany.

“For centuries, and most famously in the 1930s, Jews and their businesses were labeled by Europeans,” the ad reads. “Now, just decades after the Holocaust, they're at it again.”

Soon, the European Union's highest court will decide whether to label wines and other West Bank products, an area that Boteach’s ad describes as “Israel's ancient Biblical lands of Judea and Samaria, eastern Jerusalem and the Golan Heights.” Rather than being labeled as coming from Israel, the products will be labeled as coming from “colonies."

Last month, Canada’s Federal Court ruled that wines produced by Israelis in the West Bank can no longer be labeled as “Made in Israel.”

Similarly, the European Union's ruling will apply only to Jewish-owned businesses.

“True to form and history, Europe's actions are only against Israel and Jews,” the ad reads. “The EU does not label olive oil from Turkish-occupied Northern Cyprus, nor fish from Moroccan-occupied Western-Sahara, nor Goji berries and, most significantly, gold and other resources being plundered from Chinese-occupied Tibet.

“Singling out Jewish businesses means Europe's latest measures has nothing to do with justice,” it continues. “It's a centuries-old, uniquely European prejudice: naming and shaming Jews.”

The ad calls on “European nations of conscience” to stand up against the antisemitic labeling of Jews.

The EU rejected all claims that it was boycotting Israel or Jews.

    

"The indication of origin of products from territories occupied by Israel is a technical consumer protection issue, based on the EU recognizing Israel within its 1967 border. In line with UNSC resolution 2334 of 2016, the EU considers Israeli settlements in occupied territories as illegal under international law. Goods of origin from these territories, as other goods for import into the EU, need to be correctly labelled so that consumers in the EU have full clarity where the products come from," the EU said. 

    

"The EU does not support any elements of the so-called ‘BDS’ approach (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) against Israel, and hence also not the boycott of products from Israeli settlements," it added.

    

"An Interpretative Notice of the European Commission was issued in November 2015; it aims to provide further clarity on the existing EU rules. The notice has not created any new legislative rules," the EU said. 

    

"Member States’ competent authorities are in charge of the enforcement of the relevant EU legislation," it added.