Anti-Semitism Is on Rise in Post 9/11 World, Judge Says

Anti-Semitism around the world today is “more open and more dangerous

Einhorn, an federal immigration judge, said events of recent years, including Sept. 11 and the second Palestinian intifada of 2000, have coincided with a worldwide upswing in anti-Jewish sentiment.

“Not just Islamic countries, but countries in Western Europe who should know better,” have witnessed a rise in such attitudes in recent years, Einhorn told guests at the organization’s 90th-anniversary gala. The $500-a-plate event, held at the Century Plaza Hotel in Century City, drew about 900 guests.

The Anti-Defamation League, dedicated to fighting anti-Semitism, was formed in 1913 by a Chicago attorney disturbed by the stereotyping of Jewish people in vaudeville.

In more recent decades, the organization’s efforts to combat hate crimes and discrimination had been rewarded with surveys indicating anti-Semitism was on the wane in the U.S. But a change came after Sept. 11, when ADL researchers noted that anti-Jewish attitudes nationwide were gaining momentum.

A 2002 survey published by the organization found that 17% of Americans were strongly anti-Semitic, up from 12% in a survey four years before.

Einhorn said the rise in anti-Semitism is evidenced in studies showing that nearly 60% of Europeans now view Israel and the United States as greater threats to world peace than North Korea and Iran.

Rising numbers of violent acts against Jewish people in a number of countries, including France, Belgium and Turkey, signal further change, he said, as do surveys suggesting that old stereotypes have returned, such as those associating Jewish people with greed.

Sunday’s gala also honored two longtime fundraisers, retired real estate developer Billy Vetrin and his wife, Tootsie, with the ADL’s lifetime achievement award.