Annual report notes incidents against Jews are increasing at a concerning rate; Hungary sees most troubling trends in Europe.
By JPOST.COM STAFFBurning Jewish star anti semitism magen david 311(photo credit: Umit Bektas/Reuters)
Global violence and vandalism against Jews has increased by 30 percent, according to an annual survey released by The Kantor Center for the Study of Contemporary European Jewry, on Sunday.In contrast to a relative decline in numbers of anti-Semitic acts over the past two years, the report noted that a “correlation was observed between the political strengthening of extreme right parties and the high level of anti-Semitic manifestations including incidents of violence and vandalism.”Hungary was identified as the European entity experiencing the most troubling escalation of anti-Semitic incidents, according to European Jewish Congress (EJC) President Dr. Moshe Kantor. “There are extremely worrying signs emanating from Hungary at the moment where barely a week passes without an attack on minorities or outrageous comments from far-Right politicians,” Kantor said at the anti-Semitism Press Conference held at Tel Aviv University Sunday.Kantor also expressed concern for Greece and Ukraine, which experienced trends similar to those in Hungary of political advancement for neo-Nazi parties and the far-Right.France was also regarded as troubling with a 58% increase of anti-Semitic occurrences following the attack on a Jewish school in Toulouse last year.The EJC has contacted the European Parliament president, Martin Schulz, calling for parliamentary action and surveillance of related developments.“We are reaching out to the leaders in Hungary and the EU and calling for the initiation of hearings in relevant committees, because this situation cannot continue,” Kantor said.
