Fmr Chief UK Rabbi: European anti-Semitism Resembles Pre-WWII Germany

Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, former Chief Rabbi of the United Kingdom and current Professor of Judaic Thought at New York University and Yeshiva University, compared rising anti-Semitism in Europe to “signs of global crisis such as existed in Germany before the Second World War” on Monday’s “Ronan Farrow Daily” on MSNBC.

“We’re seeing the return of anti-Semitism as one of those signs of global crisis, such as existed in Germany before the Second World War. When there’s turbulence, international turbulence, the easiest recourse is for people to blame the Jews. So, I think this is a bad sign, not only for Jews, but for the future of Europe itself” he stated.

Sacks did say that things were different than they were in the 1930s in one respect because “the existence of State of Israel is what has made anti-Semitism different now from what it [was] in the 1930s. In the 1930s, Jews had nowhere else to go. Today, they have a State of Israel to go to. And that has enhanced our sense of security wherever Jews are in the world.” Although, he also predicted “many Jews throughout Europe will stay, continue to feel very loyal to Europe and say to Europe, ‘you must fight anti-Semitism, because, in the end, it’s a threat to your freedom, not just to ours.'”

Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett

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