Czech Jewish cemetery desecrated

A Jewish cemetery has been desecrated in a northeastern Czech town, an official said Tuesday. Jirina Garajova, head of the Jewish community in Ostrava, 350 kilometers east of Prague, said that 25 tombstones were overturned at the Jewish cemetery in the nearby town of Bohumin over the weekend. Two of the tombstones were broken, she said. The cemetery, dating back to the 19th century, is no longer used for burials and opened to public on July 1 after renovations. Some 400 Jews lived in Bohumin before the World War II. Only 11 survived the Holocaust. Meanwhile, a report released Tuesday by the Anti-Defamation League showed that anti-Semitic feeling in Europe was growing, with half of respondents in a new survey believing that Jews were more loyal to Israel than to the countries where they live and a third saying Jews have too much influence in business and finance. The report, based on polling in six European countries, found a general increase in negative attitudes toward Jews since a similar survey in 2005. Launching the latest findings from interviews with 500 adults each in Austria, Belgium, Britain, Hungary, the Netherlands and Switzerland, ADL director Abraham Foxman said that the data showed the persistence of anti-Jewish stereotypes in those countries, despite efforts by individual governments and by the European Union. "These attitudes die hard and help incite and legitimize anti-Semitic acts, including violence against Jews," Foxman told a press conference in Jerusalem. He called the questioning of Jewish loyalty "the most distressing, disturbing, frightening issue," as it was liable to fuel anti-Semitic incidents. According to the survey, an overall 49.7 percent of respondents said it was "probably true" that Jews are more loyal to Israel than to their home countries, compared to an average of 38.2% in 2005. A breakdown of the results showed that view was most widely held in Austria and Belgium, where 54% of those polled agreed, compared to Switzerland, with 44%... (JPost-Jul. 17, 2007)