Sarah Montague
Synagogues across Europe are increasing their security after the suicide attacks in Istanbul at the weekend. The Chief Rabbi here, Jonathan Sacks has been warning of a rise in anti-semitism recently and he joins us on the line:

What form have you noticed this rise in anti-semitism taking?

Rabbi Dr Jonathan Sacks
Well obviously Saturday's attack was absolutely devastating - an attack on worshippers at prayer, in a house of prayer - and we've seen this phenomenon elsewhere. Synagogues have been fire-bombed in France, in Belgium there've been attacks, synagogue desecrations here in Britain. It's a very worrying time.

Sarah Montague
Is it something that you're hearing from across the faith in Britain as well?

Rabbi Dr Jonathan Sacks
Well this is I think specifically targeted on Jewish sites, Jewish synagogues, schools, cemeteries and ...

Sarah Montague
Yes but I'm wondering if it's across Britain; if it's something that you're hearing from people across Britain:

Rabbi Dr Jonathan Sacks
Absolutely, yes.

Sarah Montague
Do you think it's anti-Jewish or anti-Israel?

Rabbi Dr Jonathan Sacks
The targets are not Israeli targets. We had a bombing in London of the Israeli Embassy back in 1995 that was clearly directly against Israel but the targets in Europe and North Africa and Turkey have been synagogues and schools that have no connection with Israel.

Sarah Montague
And why do you think it's on the rise now?

Rabbi Dr Jonathan Sacks
I think there has been a global outpouring of hate in the last two or three years which has been quite devastating. A classic piece of anti-semitic propaganda, The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, was turned into a forty-part television series in Egypt and broadcast throughout last Ramadan. This Ramadan, Syria is doing an even more virulent series. Recently we had President Mahatir of Malaysia making a very anti-semitic speech without any protest from the fifty-seven governments present. We are seeing that racist is a very light sleeper.

Sarah Montague
And Moslems are to blame?

Rabbi Dr Jonathan Sacks
I don't blame Moslems here at all. First of all there were Moslem casualties in Turkey as well as Jewish ones. This is an extremist group and fits into a pattern that we saw in Gerba (?) last year, in Casablanca earlier this year of groups probably with links with al-Qaida targeting communities like Turkey, Morocco, Tunisia where Jews and Moslems have for centuries lived together in peace and goodwill.

Sarah Montague
What can you do about it because you've made the point before that there has been comprehensive education campaigns over the last few years and from what you're saying they're not working?

Rabbi Dr Jonathan Sacks
They're not working because today preachers, radicals are preaching hate and nobody's protesting. I mean what we have here is a demonstration of Edmund Burke's famous statement that all it takes for evil to flourish is for good people to say nothing.

Now quite independently of Saturday's attack Monsieur Chirac, the French President will be convening an emergency meeting in France because of a Jewish school that was fire-bombed in Paris and it's about time I think that political and religious leaders throughout Europe and the world said 'no'.

Sarah Montague
What do you want political leaders here to do?

Rabbi Dr Jonathan Sacks
I want them to be aware and act rapidly when there is any incitement to violence. We had a ...

Sarah Montague
In what way though because many would say: Look, we are aware. We are aware of this but what can we do?

Rabbi Dr Jonathan Sacks
Well we had a radical cleric Britain who was indeed prosecuted, who is reported to have said: How do you deal with the Jews? You kill the Jews. You have to be very vigilant. You have to police race hate and incitements to violence and you have to bring the perpetrators to Court. There's no other way.

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