Leaders of European Jewish Communities Confer on Anti-semitism

Nazi, Fascist and anti-Semitic movements exist in many countries and there are international ties between such groups which represent “a real threat” to democratic society, a special conference of representatives of Jewish communities of 12 countries in Europe was told here today. The conference was convened by the World Jewish Congress European executive to consider the January spate of anti-Semitic incidents which followed the daubing of the Cologne synagogue in West Germany.

The conference, in a review of anti-hate laws in various countries, concluded that present legislation is in many cases either inadequate or ineffectively implemented. The delegates decided to urge better legislative or administrative measures wherever necessary.

The delegates expressed denunciation of all manifestations of prejudice, hatred or discrimination because of religious, race or color. They welcomed the recent resolution of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights which condemned such manifestations as a violation of the principles embodied in the UN charter and in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights “and in particular of the human rights of the group against which they are directed.”

The conference pledged full cooperation with the UN inquiry into the manifestations, their causes and motives and with the UN Human Rights Commission request for suggestions for dealing with such behavior.

The conference called on Jewish communities to help the World Jewish Congress to collect in a unified effort all information on the composition, activities and interrelations of Nazi, Fascist and anti-Semitic groups and to study the extent of racial and religious prejudice and discrimination.

The delegates particularly stressed the role of education in combatting racial and religious bias and intolerance and called for thorough revision of education media to eliminate all teachings which foster prejudice and to give an accurate appraisal of the disastrous effects of religious intolerance throughout history, particularly in the more recent past.