A Brussels-based European Jewish umbrella organisation has launched a campaign which calls on Europeans to wear a kippah, the traditional Jewish skullcap, and other Jewish symbols to fight rising anti-Semitism on the continent.
They are being asked to film themselves walking down the street to show their opposition to rising anti-Semitism.
“The idea is to get as many non-Jews as possible to wear Jewish symbols and show solidarity, and that they are a part of the silent majority that is not anti-Semitic. The idea is to do like the ice bucket challenge and get thousands to publish the videos on Facebook and Twitter,” said Rabbi Menachem Margolin, Director General of the European Jewish Association, a federation of Jewish organisations active on European level.
“It only takes a minute. Just upload a video of yourself walking 10 meters in your neighborhood wearing a kippa or other Jewish symbol and announce ‘I too will proudly join the initiative to increase awareness,’” said one young woman in one of the promotional videos produced by the EJA. Israel’s Chief Rabbi, David Lau, also call on both Jews and gentiles to challenge five friends to take part in the campaign and post their videos on Facebook and Twitter. When a Jew sees that “his neighbor identifies with him he will feel more secure,” Rabbi Lau said in his video promoting the campaign.
According to Margolin, the campaign will “make sure that people have an opportunity to show solidarity” and that at the end of the day “the majority of people in Europe” is against anti-Semitism.
When a Jew sees that “his neighbor identifies with him he will feel more secure,” Lau said in his video promoting the campaign.
Earlier this year Rabbi Margolin slammed a call made by a German Jewish leader who suggested that Jews should avoid to wear the kippah in areas with large Muslim population. “The call for Jews to hide their identity instead of calling upon European governments to provide all the necessary resources in order to battle anti-Semitism is irresponsible,” he said.
In 2012, after a brutal attack against a rabbi in Berlin, several dozens of residents marched in the city center in solidarity with the local Jewish community,many of them donning kippot.
(Source: EJP)
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8 Responses
Fot those who do not yet know: Rabbi Menachem Margolin is a Chabad rabbi heading a Chabad rabbinical organisation with no following outside Chabad. He has poped up several times after the killings in Paris and Copenhagen and no European Jewish leader or organization outside Chabad has come out suporting his different ideas, like arming Jewish voluntary gardes. Those who have bothered to comment have unequvocaly said no thanks to his suggestions.
What a ridiculous idea!
Doubtless, a few goyim will wear kippot for ten seconds to show solidarity with us … maybe last week the same goyim wore kaffias to show solidarity with the Palestinians.
Ultimately, this is our nisayon and we just have to put our faith in HKBH.
Chazak ve’ematz.
What a bunch of Tipshim. You know how you fight Anti Semitism, Teshuva, Tefilah and Tzedaka. If we all lived true Torah lives we wouldn’t be dealing with Anti Semitism.
Ludicrous;pathetic
If you(plural) wish for respect: Be an Ohr Lagoyim
Battle forcefully for public propriety,Sanctity of life, morality .
Instead , the comical path of less resistance,you wish to have goyim dress as jews
Sure!
if we lead true torah lives there’s no anti Semitism?
that’s false and history proves that. when the Jews left were worthy of leaving Egypt, the Egyptians still hated us and chased us to the sea. history proves there will always be anti Semitism.
whether Jews will defeat their enemies is another story. that may very well depend on the level of the nation.
I believe that Rabbi Margolin’s idea – whether he intended it or not – is an echo of what one of Europe’s royal families (the Dutch? I am not sure) did during the Holocaust: when the Nazis ordered all Dutch Jews to wear yellow armbands, the King appeared in public wearing a yellow armband. It sent a clear message of defiance. (It did not by itself, win the war, but it surely helped show that the Nazis were not irresistible.)
Re comment no. 5: Jews will not defeat anti-Semitism – Hashem will.
Re comment nos. 1 and 3: Maybe you two should get together and pool your gray matter. You might come up with a whole brain. What organization does more to promote Teshuva than Chabad? (I am sorry about the insult, but sometimes I cannot resist.)
To the chochem nggo3: First of all, the myth you seem to believe in is in fact about a Danish not a Dutch king, and second th king never appeard in public wearing a yellow armband. Not even with a yellow Judenstern either.
Yes, Chabad is working hard to promote Teshuva. And they should keep that going, and not mishen sech mit andere sachen. The american edukated shlichim that are working in Europe has no clue about the European or European-Jewish mentality
#5
D’vorim 4:6