U.K. city scraps Holocaust memorial
A British city reportedly scrapped plans for Holocaust Memorial Day because of local Muslim pressure.
Britain’s Jewish Telegraph reported that the city council of Bolton, in greater Manchester, canceled a planned event marking the recent U.N.-designated international Holocaust memorial day. The city has commemorated the Holocaust for the past three years.
Instead, in line with the policy of the Muslim Council of Britain, which rejects the memorial day, the city will have a Genocide Day in June that also will mark “ongoing genocide and human rights abuses of Palestinians” by Israelis.
“There may not be many Jews in Bolton, but the day is supposed to have an educational message to the whole community,” Louis Rapaport, president of the Jewish Representative Council of Greater Manchester, told the Telegraph. “I can’t help feeling the decision was influenced by Bolton’s large Muslim community.” — jta
British Jews urge ‘independent’ stand on Israel
A group of Anglo-Jewish notables urged Jews to take a more “independent” stance on Israel than do mainstream community groups. In a statement posted on a Web site linked to Britain’s Guardian newspaper, the left-leaning group Independent Jewish Voices called for equitable treatment of Israelis and Palestinians, and deplored anti-Arab bigotry as akin to anti-Semitism.
The group, comprised of dozens of Jewish intellectuals and celebrities including actor Stephen Fry and film director Mike Leigh, hinted that it sought to break from the umbrella Board of Deputies of British Jews, which has backed Israel in its recent conflicts with Hezbollah and the Palestinians.
“We come together in the belief that the broad spectrum of opinion among the Jewish population of this country is not reflected by those institutions which claim authority to represent the Jewish community as a whole,” the group said. — jta
Holocaust-era mansion goes to heiress
The heiress of an Austrian Jewish magnate who fled the Holocaust was awarded his former mansion. The Vienna property, estimated to be worth $5.2 million to $6.5 million, was awarded to Maria Altmann by an Austrian restitution body. The mansion served as an administrative building for Austrian railways after it was abandoned by its late owner during World War II.
Altmann, 90, who lives in Los Angeles, last year was awarded five Gustav Klimt paintings seized by the Nazis when her family fled Austria. The paintings had been held at Vienna’s National Gallery. — jta
Pope urges interfaith dialogue
Pope Benedict XVI urged more interfaith dialogue.
“Interreligious and intercultural dialogue is not just an option but a vital necessity for our times,” Benedict said in a recent address to a foundation that encourages closer ties between Christians, Jews and Muslims.
The also said the church needs to find “ties that unite” it to Islam and Judaism.
Benedict has vowed to pursue the interfaith work championed by his predecessor, Pope John Paul II, but angered Muslims last year with a sermon that appeared to criticize Islam. — jta
Anti-Semitism monitor gets top radio post
A scholar known for his work monitoring anti-Semitism and anti-Israeli activity in Europe was named president of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Jeffrey Gedmin starts in March, according to a statement released by the congressionally funded pro-American radio network.
In a 2004 interview Gedmin, who is not Jewish and has headed the Berlin office of the influential Aspen Institute since 2001, said anti-Israel sentiment in Europe was rooted in the continent’s anti-Semitic past.
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, based in Prague, was established in 1949 to promote Western views and democracy to countries under the control of the former Soviet Union.
Its previous president was Tom Dine, formerly an executive director of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee and now CEO of the S.F.-based Jewish Community Federation. — jta
CopyrightJ, the Jewish news weekly of Northern California