Kristallnach 70 Years and Very Little Has Changed

Through out the world we remember Kristallnach, the night the Nazi's began the Holocaust in earnest. Its amazing how little has changed in almost seven decades. Arab countries children textbooks are filled with anti Jewish Hatred. Islamic Clerics call for the death of Jews. In Venezuela and Iran leaders are whipping the population into Anti Semitic fervor. Frankfort Germany's annual book fair many of the books on display from turkey showed the worst kind of Jewish stereotypes. The Wiesenthal center has warned of major up tics in anti-Semitism in the UK, France and Greece. Polls have shown that a significant part of the world population believes that the Jews were behind 9/11.

Even in the US ! College campus' have become a safe haven for anti-semetic professors. Last year professors from the U of Chicago and Harvard published a book rousing the stereotype that "Jewish Lobby" controlled the government. The Man who was just elected President of the United States counts many people who agrees with those professors as his advisers.

The latest economic crises has given an opportunity for hard core Jew Haters to come out of the closet:

• United Kingdom: The Web site of the mainstream British newspaper, The Independent, featured in its comments section a post by a visitor identifying himself as "Errol Flynn" that repeated the claim about the alleged $400 billion transfer from Lehman Brothers to Israeli banks. In response to a second article on the economic crisis, another reader commented, "So the banks used to be Jewish-owned has anything changed?" Both posts were eventually removed by the site's administrators.

• Russia: The Web site of Pravda newspaper published an article arguing that French, German and Italian leaders are advocating a bailout of European banks to benefit "Rothschild, Kuhn Loeb, and other banking magnates," a reference to well-known Jewish banking families. The article continued, "The trouble is most of Europe is sick of their Zionist puppet governments, the wrecking of the universities and the flood of third world immigration. Another Hitler, running a united Europe, could be elected in a heartbeat."

• Germany: Some discussion forums and blogs made casual linkage between the crisis and Jews or repeated anti-Semitic stereotypes of the "money-savvy" and "financially dominating Jew." One comment on Ariva.de, an independent provider of financial news, stated: "When it comes to money Jews are always in the say."

• Spain: Op-eds making reference to Jews and the financial crisis appeared in diario El Pais. While the articles did not directly accuse Jews of causing the crisis, the comments section following the articles contained several anti-Semitic entries. One writer declared, "The crisis is not a financial problem but an economic one it is what is behind this gruesome scene of savage capitalism of the Zionist students of Milton Friedman." Additionally, several financial Web sites featured articles with anti-Jewish themes, including one stating that "Lehman's management board is made up of Jews who were only interested in results no matter at what price." (Cincodias.com).

• Venezuela: The host of a virulently anti-Semitic radio program claims that the fact that the U.S. Congress recessed for the Jewish High Holidays after voting on the $700 billion bailout proposal was evidence "that the U.S. government is controlled by the Jewish lobby."

Sadly it seems that in the seventy years since the night of broken glass, nothing has changed and very little has been learned. The Jewish people are still under attack across the world.