JOURNALfor the STUDYof ANTISEMITISM

24 JOURNAL FOR THE STUDY OF ANTISEMITISM [ VOL. 3:19
since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack. The men were arrested as part of a
police operation that had begun prior to Osama bin Laden’s death and was
not a result of any retaliatory plan, sources said.
Glasgow, May 24: A Scottish municipality has banned from its libraries
books by Israeli authors and that were printed or published in Israel. The
West Dunbartonshire Council, consisting of towns and villages west of
Glasgow, ordered new books by Israeli authors to be banned from the council’s
libraries, according to reports. “A place that boycotts books is not far
from a place that burns them,” said Israel’s ambassador to the UK, Ron
Prosor. European Jewish Congress President Moshe Kantor called the banning
of Israeli books and the marking of Israeli products in Scotland “eerily
reminiscent of darker times, and perhaps there is a level of hatred that connects
them.” In a statement released Tuesday, Kantor noted that “While
those behind the boycott will claim that this is not antisemitic, targeting the
only Jewish state, a democracy, while ignoring serial human rights-abusing
nations tells us that this is indeed antisemitic in intent and in effect.”
Leicester, UK, May 26: The house and car of the rabbi of the Leicester
Hebrew Congregation have been targeted by antisemitic vandals in three
nocturnal attacks over the past three weeks. Bricks twice shattered windows
of Rabbi Schmuli Pink’s shul-owned property, half a mile from the citycenter
synagogue. On another occasion, a brick was thrown through his car
window. Rabbi Pink said that although no one was injured, “this was not a
pleasant experience. However, we are remaining strong.” The rabbi, who
lives with his wife, Rifki, and their seven children, praised the efforts of the
local police. “We are very happy with what the police are doing. They are
responding excellently,” he said. Rabbi Pink has served the Midlands community
for nearly 10 years.
JUNE
San Francisco, June 6: A cartoon called “Foreskin Man” has gained notoriety
after an anti-male circumcision proposition was brought to San Francisco’s
November ballot. The cartoon, created by Matthew Hess, president
of the MGMbill.org group against what it calls male genital mutilation, features
the handsome young Foreskin Man doing battle with Monster Mohel,
an old, hook-nosed character, over a baby laid out on a blanket on a pool
table in a billiard hall. The comic has been around for at least a year. A
Foreskin Ma“ card set also is also being sold on the Internet.
Channel Islands, UK, June 10: A legislator on Jersey, a British crown
dependency off the coast of France, will not run for reelection because of