'Anti-Semitism being taught in Spain schools'

[cali]

By Barak Ravid, Haaretz Correspondent



Israel on Sunday lodged a formal complaint with Spain, charging that anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism are being instilled in elementary students across parts of the country.

The Israeli embassy in Madrid has received dozens of postcards addressed to the Israeli envoy - from students ages 5 and 6 - including hand-written messages such as "Jews kill for money," "Evacuate the country for Palestinians," and "Go to someplace where someone will be willing to accept you."

According to sources in the Foreign Ministry, this is an organized campaign by officials outside the education system in Spain that have been given permission to work with the students.
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The Foreign Ministry had originally planned to summon the Spanish envoy to Israel, Alvaro Iranzo, to rebuke him.

<snip>

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1152853.html

[shergald]

1. It all comes back to the treatment of Palestinians and their occupation.

I have no doubt that there is no other motivation behind these postcards. It is also evidence that the IP conflict may be increasing anti-Semitism as one side-effect.

Wake up Israel!

[cali]

2. right. because there is no history of anti-semitism in Europe

it's a wee bit more complex than you make it out to be, dear. In any case, it's completely unacceptable inculcate hate in very young children. period. what's happening here is no more acceptable than if young children in the U.S. were taught to hate Arabs in the wake of 9/11. duh.

[Name removed]

3. Deleted message

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[LeftishBrit]

10. So that justifies ANYTHING that people might do elsewhere?

Would it be OK for young children to be encouraged to write to the Iraqi embassy saying "Muslims are terrorists' or to the American embassy saying "Americans are baby-killers"?

You have 'no doubt that there is no other motivation'? For saying "Jews kill *for money*?"

[ZombieHorde]

4. This is really creepy. nt

[Donald Ian Rankin]

5. The article doesn't make it clear what was going on.

Adults with the state's blessing saying to children "write postcards to the Israeli embassy saying 'Jews kill for money'" is clearly both unacceptable and indicative of both institutional and individual antisemitism.

Adults saying to children "write postcards to the Israeli embassy protesting about their treatment of the Palestinians" and the children then choosing to write "Jews kill for money" is indicative of individual antisemitism, but not necessarily on a terribly large scale.

And I can't tell from the article which of these is closer to what happened.

[cali]

8. Frankly, II think it's disturbing to urge 6 year olds

to be involved in writing postcards to any Embassy about anything. That's just too young.

[aquart]

6. Ah. A return to the fine old traditions.

Spain. Inquisition. Marranos. Good times. Good times.

[cali]

7. wow. that's some hyperbole there.

[aquart]

9. Really? I was thinking sarcasm.

[LeftishBrit]

11. Very nasty if true.

On the one hand, I know from experience with British media (especially perhaps with regard to schools and education) that at times a few isolated incidents can be misrepresented as a mass campaign, or generally distorted. Possibly this is the case here - though even isolated incidents should be condemned.

On the other hand, Spain does have one of the higher rates of antisemitism, in most surveys, among countries in Western Europe.

Schools should bend over backwards not to encourage *any* sort of prejudice.