Belgian university denotes 'Jew' with the same hand-sign for hooked nose
A dictionary of sign language in The University of Ghent uses the same sign for hooked nose to say 'Jew'
By CNAAN LIPHSHIZ/JTAA sign language interpreter translates a prayer during a ceremony on the eve of the International Day of Commemoration to honour the victims of the Holocaust in Minsk(photo credit: REUTERS)
A gesture signaling a hooked nose is how one Belgian university described “Jew” in its online sign-language dictionary.The University of Ghent compiled the dictionary and features the gesture in videos on the website.The European Jewish Association protested in a statement Monday. Its director, Menachem Margolin, said the first two videos depicting a Jew “seem standard.” Both show a presenter stroking an imaginary beard.“The second involving side-locks are borderline acceptable if misleading,” he said, “and the last two are simply racist and demeaning to Jews, using a gesticulation of a large and hooked nose to define Jew.”Margolin has asked campus authorities to remove the two gestures from the dictionary.