Yad Vashem Expert Criticizes Netanyahu For ‘Following’ Trump On Anti-Semitism
An exhibit of Holocaust victims at Yad Vashem. Image by wikipedia
By Naomi Zeveloff February 23, 2017
The academic adviser of Israel’s Holocaust Museum, Yad Vashem, has criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for his delayed response to the uptick in anti-Semitism in America under President Trump.
Netanyahu “follows President Trump,” Yad Vashem anti-Semitism expert Yehuda Bauer told National Public Radio. “He did not react immediately.”
Some Israeli analysts say that Netanyahu’s decision to follow Trump’s lead when it comes to addressing anti-Semitism in America is a political play to avoid running afoul of his newfound ally in the White House, NPR reported.
Trump made a statement against anti-Semitism for the first time this week after weeks of bomb threats against Jewish Community Centers. After that, Netanyahu praised Trump’s “strong stand against anti-Semitism” during a diplomatic trip to Australia.
Netanyahu has defended Trump against accusations that his candidacy and presidency have unleashed hatred against Jews in America, saying he wished to put the issue “to rest” after a reporter asked about anti-Semitism at a Washington press conference.
For his part, Bauer said that Trump “is not an anti-Semite.” However, “his attitude, his policies, encourage people who develop hatred toward other groups. So it’s an atmosphere that he represents.”
Contact Naomi Zeveloff at [email protected]
The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.
Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.
This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a Passover gift today!
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Make a Passover Gift Today!
Dive In
-
Fast Forward Pope Francis’ final speech called for ceasefire and hostage release in Gaza war
-
Fast Forward Israeli army fires deputy commander after finding ‘operational errors’ in killing of 15 Gazans
-
Fast Forward ‘F–k Israel’ message displayed at Coachella music festival and streamed to millions
-
Fast Forward Jewish students, alumni decry ‘weaponization of antisemitism’ across country
Most Popular
- 1
News Student protesters being deported are not ‘martyrs and heroes,’ says former antisemitism envoy
- 2
News Who is Alan Garber, the Jewish Harvard president who stood up to Trump over antisemitism?
- 3
Fast Forward Suspected arsonist intended to beat Gov. Josh Shapiro with a sledgehammer, investigators say
- 4
Opinion What Jewish university presidents say: Trump is exploiting campus antisemitism, not fighting it
In Case You Missed It
-
Fast Forward Pope Francis’ final speech called for ceasefire and hostage release in Gaza war
-
Opinion Shackled, imprisoned and subjected to false accusations, Kilmar Abrego Garcia recalls the fate of Captain Alfred Dreyfus
-
Opinion The dangerous Nazi legend behind Trump’s ruthless grab for power
-
Culture In Pope Francis, a voice for interfaith dialogue and against antisemitism
-
Shop the Forward Store
100% of profits support our journalism
Republish This Story
Please read before republishing
We’re happy to make this story available to republish for free, unless it originated with JTA, Haaretz or another publication (as indicated on the article) and as long as you follow our guidelines.
You must comply with the following:
- Credit the Forward
- Retain our pixel
- Preserve our canonical link in Google search
- Add a noindex tag in Google search
See our full guidelines for more information, and this guide for detail about canonical URLs.
To republish, copy the HTML by clicking on the yellow button to the right; it includes our tracking pixel, all paragraph styles and hyperlinks, the author byline and credit to the Forward. It does not include images; to avoid copyright violations, you must add them manually, following our guidelines. Please email us at [email protected], subject line “republish,” with any questions or to let us know what stories you’re picking up.