Antisemitism - Now and forever? - By Nikos Dimou

Translation by Assistant Professor at Saint John's University, Queens, USA, Asher J. Matathias

Tired I am of seeing Greece last on many lists. Searching for a leading position in something, I discovered it, and I am saddened. Data indicate that we’re first in Europe in anti-Semitism. According to ADL-Global, 69% of Greeks harbor anti-Semitic views. The study of 1000 in a representative sample in the 2017 research done by Greek and foreign intellectuals under the aegis of the Heinrich Bell Institute. Of those, 75% believe are certain that Jews exploit the Holocaust for their own advantage; 71% believe that Jews have too much power —- as citizens, as a nation, even in commerce.

Close to this is the belief in every second taxi-driver that Jews rule the world.

As to why we’re anti-Semites the study does not enlighten us. There’s, of course a tradition in the origin of Christian Orthodoxy whose churches hear the condemnation reference to perfidious Jews. We can think this to be another manifestation of our cultural negativity. We are against the established system, anti-West, anti-European, anti-German, anti-American, etc. (Only anti-Russia we aren’t. Waiting for centuries, admirers of the blonde genus.) We are also first in embracing conspiracies. 80% of Greeks (DiaNeosis study), believe that our lives are directed by secret foreign centers. Therefore, Jews and conspiracies fit perfectly. Ours is one of a few European countries where the czarist fraudulent Protocols of the Elders of Zion circulate freely. There we find insinuated that Jews govern the world.

It’s not enough that we’re the leading anti-Semites, but it’s three that we build our myth. That Greeks are really friends of the Jews, and that during the occupation, they helped many to escape the Holocaust.

How many we "helped" are provided in statistics. Only 20-% were saved in Greece —- the second worst record in Europe. The Danes saved 98.5%. Even inside Germany, 45% were saved. In Zakinthos the Metropolitan and Mayor were able to hide all Jews, demonstrating that we could have done better.

20 years ago, I remember speaking to the inauguration event for the Athens Jewish Museum (after the politicians chewed the usual myths), I spoke inconvenient truths. It was the most emotional, greatest constructive experience of my life. When I finished, more than a thousand people stood to applaud endlessly.

The theme of my talk was “2000 Years of Loneliness.” And I closed with these words: “the Jews of Greece now open their home, the house of tradition. And not only their home —- they invite us in their faith, in their synagogues, as they have been saved inside their valuable museum. They show us their their art, the Holy and the mundane. It’s an opportunity for us to discover them —- even if after 2000 years. It’s a chance to enter the tale —- a tragic tale —- of their history. And for us to tell them, that no matter how many times we injured them, we want them her, near us. They are with us, the most ancient, the wisest, but also the most persecuted People of the world. It’s time to end the years of loneliness.”

Bravo, then, to Stavros Zouboulaki and Yannis Boutari who also dared to utter unhappy things. And to our nativists, and racists I say: the old Solomonic adage often mentioned, but rarely observed: nothing’s more nationalistic than the truth!

You can find the original treatise in greek at Doncat.blogspot.gr