Do they want us to sit around a lot? They caught us, they grappled with us, and they cheered us on. They ban democracy. Now they are asking us to change our customs too

While Israeli governments unleashed a new wave of violence against Palestinians and civilians alike for months, Israelis have been trying to interfere with Easter celebrations in European countries.

In particular, the Minister of the Diaspora and Minister of Social Equality, Amichai Shekli (Amichai Shekli), plunged into a barrage of letters to the ambassadors of Poland, Greece, the Netherlands and Ukraine on Holy Tuesday and Holy Wednesday, calling on them to act against the recent anti-Semitic events in their countries, among which the Easter traditions of “Anti-Semitic” content.

For Poland, Minister of Diaspora and Social Equality Amikaj Čekli protested against the Polish Easter tradition in which the townspeople of Prushnik watch the burning of a kippah-clad Judas as part of a Christian event.

Usually, children also participate, who hit the doll, which, of course, has already caused the intervention of the Public Prosecution Office in 2019, considering it to be hateful.

Shakli writes: “While traditions are important, including those representing different ideologies, throughout history the aforementioned ceremonies have led to blood libel, discrimination, and pogroms against innocent Jews and other bystanders.”

They changed the lyrics of the song
In the Netherlands, Israeli protests spread, forcing the Dutch to change the lyrics in 2022 to the song “Christ is Risen” by replacing the word “Jews” with “people”.

In the small Dutch town of Ottmarsom, scores of men dressed in matching clothes parade the streets of their town singing about the Jews killing Jesus Christ.

These seemingly medieval scenes are not tales of Europe’s rich history of antisemitism: both [εννοεί Ολλανδίας και Πολωνίας] are modern annual Passover events,” writes The Times of Israel describing customs in the Netherlands.

“Some of the men who sing the song in the streets of Ottmarsum smoke cigars throughout the ceremony, as in local tradition smokers are known as ‘Judas'”.

Rabbi Ludi van der Kamp, who was born in the eastern Netherlands, last year called the tradition “incomprehensible” in an interview.

He added, “I cannot have the people of Otmarsum sing knowing the history of their town,” noting that four Jews were murdered there during the Holocaust.

The Times of Israel stated that “As evidence of the deep and abiding roots of Jew-hatred on the European continent, the events of the past week are among the many traditions that have endured in twenty-first century Europe, despite repeated protests by Jews and other critics.”

Letter to the Greek ambassador
The Israeli minister also complained to the Greek ambassador about the alleged burning of the Israeli flag on April 11 at a basketball match in Athens. But at the same time, in his country, the Palestinians have counted many dead from Israeli fire, while the destruction of Christian cemeteries has been a recurring phenomenon for years (Associated Press, Telegraph).

However, these interventions by Israel are contradictory, since there are customs in Greece that Israel can target.

One of the most famous Greek Orthodox hymns is “Christ’s Hymn,” in which it is stated, “Today the humiliated, disgraced, shameless, dogs, and damned three conspired to crucify the Lord Christ.”

Also, the burning of Judas is not only found in Poland, but also in parts of Greece, while in the Peloponnese they fire an effigy of him.

The Greek region has always been one of the most hospitable regions for Jews, which is why for centuries the Jewish communities, especially in Thessaloniki and Ioannina, have flourished greatly.

Significantly, an amazing rescue network operated for Jews in Greece during World War II, from a people who noticed such “anti-Semitic” habits, which is why the Israeli communities of Athens, Volos, Chalkida, Larissa and Trikala were “saved to a large extent.”

Obviously, during Greek history there were violent incidents with Jewish victims, but changing lyrics and abolishing customs likely created tensions. The excellent Greek-Israeli climate may begin to change if the Israeli Diaspora Ministry intrudes on Greek traditions and songs.

It is reported that when the Greek government canceled the “Burning of Judas” in Athens in 1847, fearing that a member of the Rothschild banking house in Athens might be disturbed, an angry mob attacked the Jewish banker Don Pacifico.

The Dutch mayor of Otmarsum wrote an article last month titled: “Our Society Does Not Tolerate Discrimination” in which he recommended welcoming refugees, but did not address the subject of the march, which was targeted by the Israelis. The interventions of Israel and the Jewish agencies create reactions among Dutch residents and visitors.

Some “disagree with the fact that this beautiful tradition is under external pressure,” while one tourist told the Topantia newspaper, “Let the persistent complainers find a target other than this beautiful tradition.”

Many participants in the annual event, which ends with a large bonfire, continue to recite the classic lines.

To many, this whole story might sound like the Israelites crushing the cone and swallowing the camel.