A new online, free book named “Human Rights: Written by Young Jews from 40 Countries”, which contains the views of diaspora Jews on antisemitism, human rights appropriation and ethics - was released on June 2 in Portugal.
The book, which is available in English and Hebrew, was commandeered by B'nai Brith Portugal alongside the International Observatory for Human Rights. It was presented at a ceremony on Monday with Israeli Ambassador to Portugal Dor Shapira, Manuela Franco, National Coordinator of the European Strategy to Combat Antisemitism and Promote Jewish Life, and Portuguese Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Luís Campos Ferreira.
The book features chapters about human rights written by young Jews aged between 16 to 30 from 40 countries around the world. The writers come from places as diverse as China, India and Guatemala.
Always the scapegoats
Since October 7, there has been a surge of antisemitism worldwide. In January, the Post reported 235% increase in antisemitic incidents in October to December of 2023 - six times greater than the months of January through September. The book discusses the impacts of this surge, although the general consensus is that antisemitism is nothing new.
“Antisemitism has always been used to express a prejudiced aversion to Jews, [who are] viewed as the root of all society’s evils,” said Shlomo Elijah, 24 one of the featured writers from the UK. “In a world that protects minorities in extreme and passionate form, the Jews are forgotten. Again."
Aarishaa Mudaliar from India discusses a similar topic; she says that Jews have been persecuted throughout history, from the Roman empire to now, and yet are still standing.
Jews have always had fewer rights, writes Josef Eskenazi, 26, from Switzerland, and were “always the scapegoats for social ills.”
Despite living in their respectives countries, Eskenazi opines that Jews were never equals.
“Those who were surprised by the events of October 2023 do not know their history.”
David Nataf, the Vice President of B'nai B'rith Portugal, said "The book comes in the wake of Hamas’ Oct. 7 massacre and seeks to highlight that Jewish human rights have been forgotten or minimized in the service of a narrow yet hateful ideology, sadly led by those for whom human rights is a mere slogan."
Portuguese Mara Garrett, 17, explores the skewed perceptions of rights when it relates to Jews, and the double standards regarding human rights: "The Jewish people created national and international law, dinim, which imposes on humanity a system of justice with honest laws and honest judges operating in a context of truth and good faith. However, exactly three months after Hamas perpetrated the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust, Israel was tried for genocide at the International Court of Justice. This demonstrates a lack of a real commitment to law, if it just becomes a weapon in the service of political attacks."
The President of the International Observatory of Human Rights, Luís Andrade, stressed the importance of the message for global Jews: "The book is a wake-up call by young Jewish men and women scattered around the four corners of the Earth.”
“This exercise of active citizenship leads these youths, who are governed by the highest moral and ethical values, to contribute to the construction of a more just, more equal world of greater solidarity that is also fraternal, tolerant and happy."