Jews Increasingly Living In A Time Where Antisemitism Is Accepted
Israeli Ambassador to to the Philippines Ilan Fluss talks to reporters in Manila about the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel. (Photo by Baby Lyn Cacho Resulta)
MANILA, Philippines — The Holocaust may have long passed, but amid the Israeli-Hamas fighting in Gaza, there is a creeping anti-Semitic bias going on in countries where Jews and Jewish communities are situated.
For Israeli Ambassador to to the Philippines Ilan Fluss, this is very concerning.
“Israelis and Jewish communities and individuals outside the country are witness to big demonstrations in Paris, in London and to a growing number of anti-semitic attacks. This is very worrying and we have already a statement coming from a formidable number of countries and envoys who are fighting this,” the ambassador said during a recent press briefing.
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He noted some governments have assigned envoys to oppose this growing sentiment.
“A few governments have appointed special envoys and their mandate is to deal with and fight anti-semitism,” Mr. Fluss explained.
Filipinos, he said, have to understand the Jews are being attacked for centuries for simply being Jewish.
“Jewish people today are afraid to walk in the street with a Jewish symbol, like I’m walking with a kippah. In some countries, Jews will remove the kippah now when they walk in the streets. This is a shame for the government for that country and for the public of that country that the Jew has to be afraid from putting on a symbol that will identify himself as a Jew. It’s a shame,” Fluss said.
Because of this, the ambassador noted the Israeli government has started asking the support of governments to protect Israel citizens.
“We are encouraging church communities and we are calling on governments to sign this letter and to join this global efforts to counter anti-semitism,” he said. “It’s a global war and we are doing our best to help and encourage church authorities and governments to protect the Jewish community and to fight this anti-semitism.”
The ambassador lamented that in some anti-semitic activities, some participants do not know what they are advocating against.
“Some people don’t understand what they are shouting. We have to teach those who don’t understand. In many countries, having and holding a Nazi symbol in Germany is against the law. And I think that is important to continue. Austria, there was a great strong condemnation in parliament. We want to see many governments and countries doing the same thing,” Fluss stressed.
Fluss flatly dismissed conjectures that the bottom line for the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel is only about religion.
“Hamas, Iran, Hezbollah are extremist Islamist organizations,” he said. “Hamas is part of the Muslim variables. It has an Islamic agenda of funding Muslim states and in the land of Israel, Muslim land, other Jewish land, Semitis and element of Islam, but I will not say that this is a war against Islam. Certainly not.”
Fluss added: “Israel has peace relations with Egypt, with Jordan; as you know I came from a conference with the UAE, with Bahrain, with Morocco, with Muslims-Israeli, Muslims including in the diplomatic servers, including in military and Israeli civilians who are Christians. So this is not a war between Islam and Judaism. It’s a war against terrorism and terror organizations who have an Islamic agenda. ISIS is an international organization. Hamas is part of ISIS. So it’s not a war against Islam.”
Fluss particularly address the Philippine media in this particular briefing as a call to help deliver accurate information regarding the ongoing Israeli-Hamas war. He lamented he and his embassy’s staff came across news articles in recent weeks, describing the four Overseas Filipino Workers as having been killed in the ongoing war.
The ambassador stressed the four were killed by Hamas in the surprise attack, when the terrorist organization swooped into Israel territory and killed at least 1,200 mostly civilians, most of who were attending an Israeli festival.
The Israel Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines held a solemn funeral service for those killed, which included Angelyn Aguirre, Loreta Alacre, Grace Cabrera and Paul Castelvi. The venue for this memorial was also replete with the photos of Israelis and other foreign nationals who were slaughtered on the day of the attack.
Fluss said all the victims’ families of the terror attack will be given assistance by the Israel government.
“As long as they are in Israel, documented in a proper way, as the Filipinos were, then the Israeli government with their visa process, will recognize them as victims of terrorism and for that, they will be receiving assistance, either their parents, their spouses, children, accordingly,” he said.
The ambassador said such an assistance will take the form of financial support, based on the deceased monthly income and if these families need assistance in education, health care and even housing.
“All these, based on Israeli law, which is very detailed and what (the families) are entitled for, will both be coursed through the (Philippine government) and directly to the families,” Fluss added.
The temporary ceasefire agreement brokered last month saw 105 civilians released from Hamas captivity, including 81 Israelis, 23 Thai nationals and two Filipinos.
As things turned out in the first prisoner swap between the hostages of Hamas and Palestine prisoners during a brief humanitarian pause at the Gaza strip in November, one Filipino, Jimmy Pacheco — previously believed to have been killed in the Hamas attack — was among those released. Later on, Noralin Babadilla, the last Filipino held hostage by Hamas, was also released.
The Israeli Embassy in the Philippines was jubilant about the release of the Filipinos. Fluss said in the weeks since the Hamas attack, Filipinos are considered and treated as family to the Israeli families they serve.
That is why he was surprised when some youth burned the Israeli and American flags following the attacks. The protests were similar to the ones seen on many U.S. college campuses and in cities across North American and Europe.
“And this is happening in the Philippines, which is a country where we have a long history of close relationship and friendship,” he said.
Despite this, the Israeli Embassy invited Filipinos to join light a candle with the Israel, in celebration of Hannukah, the eight-day Jewish festival of lights that began on Dec. 7. An official press statement released by the Israel Embassy read: “In these challenging times, our embassies worldwide are connecting with friends of Israel to spread more light.”
It also urged the public to light any candle and share a photo on social media using the hashtag #LightWithIsrael and tag the embassy on X, Facebook, Instagram and Tikok.
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Baby Lyn Cacho Resulta is a reporter for the Phillipines-based Far East Broadcasting Company. She is also a contributor to Religion Unplugged and recently took part in the Asia Pacific Journalism Institute, sponsored by The Media Project, held in Manila.