Encouraging News:

German-born pope voices pain over 1938 Nazi pogrom

"Still today I feel pain over what happened in those tragic events, whose memory must serve to ensure such horrors are never repeated and that we strive, on every level, against all forms of anti-Semitism and discrimination ... ," said the pope.

"I invite people to pray for the victims of that night and to join me in expressing profound solidarity with the Jewish world," the pontiff told crowds at the Vatican after his regular Sunday Angelus address.

Pope Benedict, born Joseph Ratzinger in Bavaria in 1927, was forced to join the Hitler Youth as a teenager, though both his parents opposed the Nazis.

Muslim states to join Kristallnacht memorial

Dramatic Muslim representation is expected at Monday's"Special Event Promoting Tolerance Throughout the European Continent" at the European Parliament in Brussels.

Representatives of Libya, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Pakistan, Morocco, Turkey and Malaysia, among others, are to attend an event publicized as part of the commemoration of the 70th anniversary of Kristallnacht.

The event is organized jointly by the European Jewish Congress and the presidency of the European Parliament. It is the first event of this scope in Europe to include such significant Muslim participation.

What worries European Jews Today according to the EJC?

Today, many Jews are once again worried. It worries us that anti-Semitic crimes are on the rise in Germany. With recent German history, the question must be asked why 63 years after the end of World War II, there is still – or rather: there is yet again – widespread resentment again Jews.

Across Europe, we witness a shocking lack of knowledge about the Holocaust, especially among the younger generation. This ignorance makes for fertile ground on which intolerance and aggression can prosper. Particularly in some eastern European countries nationalistic and racist theories can now once again be propagated publicly and without hindrance by State authorities (sometimes even under their protection, such as recently in Lithuania) in marches and rallies. In Budapest, paramilitary guards are patrolling the streets in uniforms bearing symbols that deliberately resemble those of the fascist Arrow Cross regime during World War II. To the people, whom Jews, Gypsies, foreigners and other minorities are a thorn in their side.

Holocaust denial is getting fashionable again. Some, like the Belgian Senator and National Front leader Delacroix, even celebrate their disgusting theories by turning them into a song. In Austria, a member of the far-right FPÖ whose links to extremist groups are no secret, is elected deputy speaker of Parliament.

We also witness new aggression with the new anti-Semitism of Islamist origin. Often, violent acts against Jews are deemed isolated incidents with which each country should better on its own. That is a fallacy. Of course every country needs to act on its own, and each country has its own customs and laws. However, anti-Semitism and intolerance are now cross-border phenomena.

Especially on the internet, we can see the massive efforts of old and new anti-Semites. Some online retailers make a killing by selling Hitler T-shirts and reprints of Mein Kampf. Websites dedicated to promoting hatred and calling for murder and destruction are numerous. Anti-Semitism and intolerance therefore can only be contained by pooling forces, working together internationally, and pursuing a coordinated strategy. German politicians recently discussed creating the post of a special representative for anti-Semitism. I am asking: Shouldn’t this not be done in Europe, and by Europe?

Also see, Behind the Humanitarian Mask: The Nordic Countries, Israel and the Jews. Edited by Manfred Gerstenfeld Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs/Simon Wiesenthal Center

Matt Kuntzel, Defining Jew Hatred down

Brett Stephens, 'Tolerance' Is Not the Lesson of Kristallnacht