German Jewish group says news article ‘fuels anti-Semitism’

Central Council of Jews in Germany slams ‘irresponsible and dangerous’ Spiegel piece criticizing Jewish groups for ‘aggressive lobbying’ against BDS

By AP 15 July 2019, 6:22 am 1

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Illustrative: Josef Schuster, president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, speaking at the Westend synagogue, in Frankfurt, Germany, September 26, 2016. (Hannelore Foerster/Getty Images via JTA)

BERLIN, Germany — An umbrella organization of Germany’s Jewish groups is alleging that an article in one of the country’s leading magazines “fuels anti-Semitism.”

Central Council of Jews in Germany president Josef Schuster was commenting on an article Spiegel magazine published Saturday about a German parliament resolution denouncing the Boycott, Divest and Sanctions movement targeting Israeli occupied territories.

The Spiegel story suggests two Jewish groups, WerteInitiative and Naffo, used “aggressive lobbying methods” to get lawmakers to vote for the resolution in May.

The non-binding resolution compared the BDS campaign’s economic boycott of Israel and Israeli products to campaigns in Germany against Jewish-owned businesses before the Holocaust.

Schuster told Germany’s Bild newspaper on Sunday he thinks the Spiegel article “clearly uses anti-Semitic clichés” and was “irresponsible and dangerous.”