What’s in your first aid kit? Bandages, check; thermometer, check; rubbing alcohol, check; protection against anti-Semitism – hold on a sec.
In 2014, France was stymied by a mass exodus of Jews in response to rape, robbery and the targeting of a Jewish community center, among other crimes. To raise awareness of this disturbing rise in visible anti-Semitism, the relatively new Organization for Jewish Europeans has devised Antisemitox, an “anti-Semitism first-aid treatment.”
Part tongue-in-cheek public service announcement, part earnest, gentlemanly reminder, the “treatment” is a box containing honey lozenges, “detox” patches, and the text of the French law prohibiting anti-Semitic acts and speech. (France, like many European countries, has several related laws on the books, including a 2008 E.U. prohibition against hate speech and its own prohibition against speech that incites racial hatred.) Jean-Claude Zaret, the head of the OJE, said the organization wanted to “do something original” to denounce anti-Semitism.
The treatment can be purchased over the counter for a mere 5 euros – but please consult your doctor before deviating from the recommended dose.
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Watch the manifesto of the Organization for Jewish Europeans (in French!):
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