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Comments (0)The European Union’s trade chief apologized for comments he made about Jews.
Karel De Gucht, a former Belgian foreign minister who is now the EU’s trade commissioner, said that rational discussion about Israel was impossible with Jews and that the Jewish lobby is the most influential in Washington.
De Gucht made the comments during a Sept. 2 radio interview when he was asked for his opinion on renewed Israeli-Palestinian peace talks launched in Washington.
“That is the best organized lobby that exists there,” De Gucht was quoted by The Associated Press as telling VRT, a Dutch-language radio network. “There is, indeed, a religion, I can hardly describe it differently, among most Jews that they are right. So it is not easy to have a rational discussion with a moderate Jew about what is happening in the Middle East. It is a very emotional issue.”
The European Jewish Congress immediately blasted the remarks and said they were part of an increasing pattern of anti-Semitism.
“What sort of environment allows such remarks to be made openly by a senior politician?” asked EJC President Moshe Kantor. “This is part of a dangerous trend of incitement against Jews and Israel in Europe that needs to be stamped out immediately.”
By the next day De Gucht was apologizing, saying in a statement that it was not his intention “to cause offense or stigmatize the Jewish Community. I want to make clear that anti-Semitism has no place in today’s world and is fundamentally against our European values.”
The European Commission, a body of 27 commissioners from each of the EU’s member nations, distanced itself from De Gucht’s comments.
Japan Sanctions Iran
Japan has imposed new sanctions on Iran.
The sanctions announced last Friday target Iran’s energy and finance sectors as well as individuals and entities linked to Iran’s nuclear activities. The sanctions are in line with those announced by the United Nations Security Council in June aimed at making the Islamic Republic’s nuclear activities more transparent.
Other nations that have since intensified sanctions include the United States, Canada, Australia, the European Union and Norway.
“Our nation has traditionally maintained close relations with Iran, and from that special position we will tenaciously push that nation towards a peaceful and diplomatic solution,” Yoshito Sengoko, the chief Cabinet secretary, was quoted by the Financial Times as saying.
Japan remains a major importer of Iranian crude oil.
The U.S. State Department praised the new sanctions.
“Japan’s actions underscore the international resolve to present Iran’s leaders with a clear choice: Meet your international obligations and enjoy the benefits of integration into the global system or continue to reject your responsibilities and face growing isolation and consequences,” the department said in a statement.
New Zealand Synagogue Survives Earthquake
The only synagogue in Christchurch, New Zealand, survived a massive earthquake.
The fate of the city’s Chabad House remains unclear, however.
Saturday’s tremor, registering 7.1 on the Richter scale, ripped through the city in the south island at 4:30 a.m. It caused an estimated $1.4 billion in property damage. There were no fatalities.
Rabbi Mendel Goldstein, the American-born director of Chabad of New Zealand, told JTA that the earthquake—the country’s worst since 1931—razed part of the roof of his dining room while his wife and three children were sleeping.
“We scrambled to find the kids, pick them up and hold them beneath the doorposts,” he said.
“When we felt it was slowing down we took them out of the house into the parked car and hunkered down for about two hours,” Goldstein said. “No one was seriously hurt, although quite a few elderly people are still in shock over the earthquake.”
The fate of the city’s Chabad House, which is home to the country’s only kosher restaurant, is unknown because the area has been cordoned off by authorities due to the extensive damage.
“It’s in the hardest-hit area,” Goldstein said. “The Chabad House serves as the community center.”
Goldstein went to the city’s only synagogue, Canterbury Hebrew Congregation, just hours after the quake.
“The shul just finished renovations last Wednesday; the building was overdue for some strengthening for quite some time,” the rabbi said. “Coincidentally the repairs were completed and the shul was virtually unscathed by the earthquake.
“We’ve been visiting older members of the community. We delivered them some drinks and food, and made sure they know someone is there for them.”
Rabbi Shmuel Kopel, another Chabad rabbi, flew from Dunedin to Christchurch Sunday to help Goldstein with relief efforts for the city’s 2,000 Jews.