Wiesenthal Centre to UK Charity Commission: "Investigate War on Want for Antisemitic Christmas Card"

November 28, 2008

SIMON WIESENTHAL CENTRE - EUROPE
66 rue Laugier - 75017 Paris
Tel. +33-147237637 - Fax: +33-147208401
e-mail: csweurope@gmail.com

Wiesenthal Centre to UK Charity Commission: "Investigate War on Want for Antisemitic Christmas Card"

Paris, 28 November 2008

In a letter to the Chief Executive of the British Charity Commission, Mr. Andrew Hind, the Simon Wiesenthal Centre's Director for International Relations, Dr Shimon Samuels, protested a Christmas card, currently on sale through the Online Shop of the charity organization "War on Want" (see attached and http://www.waronwant.org/Christmas20Cards2020Mary20and20Joseph+13386.twl )

Samuels recalled that, "on 14 April 2008, you warned War on Want (charity number 208724) 'against inappropriate political campaigning after complaints regarding a leaflet on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict (...) by the public and Conservative MP for Chipping Barnet, Theresa Villiers.'"

He continued, "In May, your spokesman announced that your concerns 'were related predominantly to War on Want's support for trade sanctions against Israel', but that the charity was 'working within the rules.'"

The letter expressed awareness of "the rigorous standards set by the Charity Commission for membership of its registry", pointing to the list of Principles on the Charity Commission's website which "defines 'harm' under clause 3, Proportionality, as 'damage to the public reputation of a Charity...', and, under clause 6, Diversity and Equality, that it 'works to eliminate discrimination and promote equality of opportunity and good race relations...'"

The Centre drew the Charity Commission's attention to "behaviour of War on Want that goes beyond 'trade sanctions': a Christmas card, currently for sale through the charity's Online Shop that hardly reflects the traditional spirit of Yuletide cheer", adding, "Its message, 'For a peaceful holiday throughout the world', is brutally discordant with the picture of Israeli soldiers conducting a body search and harassment of Joseph and a pregnant Mary on a donkey, blocked on their way to Bethlehem. Replete with traditional antisemitic motifs, this card can only incite to Jew-hatred, thus potentially endangering Jewish communities in the countries where it is sold."

Samuels stressed that "this stereotyping violates the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) 2004 Berlin Declaration and the European Union's Monitoring Centre on Racism (now the Fundamental Rights Agency) Working Definition of Antisemitism - both instruments to which the United Kingdom is party. The EU includes in its definition, 'using the symbols and images associated with classical antisemitism (e.g. claims of Jews killing Jesus or blood libel) to characterize Israel or Israelis'."

The Centre urged the UK Charity Commission "to investigate whether War on Want's Christmas card is in violation of the Commission's own abovementioned principles on 'harm' and 'discrimination', and to take appropriate regulatory measures. We are sure that those principles could not countenance the perception of charity serving the cause of hate."

The Centre hopes "that War on Want would vigorously reject such a perception by reinforcing its important anti-poverty image rather than promoting a one-sided political agenda. We also hope that War on Want will withdraw this Christmas card from sale and apologize for its offence to the Jewish community."

"We count on the solidarity of all true Christians who will, likewise, take offence at this debasement of Christmas in seeing Joseph and Mary, as Jews, exploited as objects of an absurd political revisionism," concluded Samuels.

For further information, please contact Shimon Samuels at +33.609.77.01.58.