A bomb was hurled from a passing car in front of the main entrance of Milan’s chief synagogue early Friday morning. The building was damaged but there were no injuries. Several hours later news agencies received anonymous phone calls from a group calling itself “Communist Fire Fighters” which claimed responsibility for the incident. The Milan Jewish community issued a statement in which it accused the Italian press of being indirectly responsible because of its anti-Israel stance.
Many Jews in this country, however, have noted that in the past week, especially after it became clear that a large segment of Israel’s population is determined to uncover who is responsible for the massacre of Palestinians in west Beirut refugee camps, the media here has been warning its readers not to confuse indignation at Premier Menachem Begin or Defense Minister Ariel Sharon with accusations against either Israel or the Jewish people.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.