David Rosen the Chief Rabbi of Ireland talks about the prejudice Jews still face.
David Rosen was appointed Chief Rabbi of Ireland in 1980. Born and brought up in England he has served as a chaplain in the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) and was the senior rabbi of the largest Orthodox Jewish community in Cape Town, South Africa.
David Rosen believes that it is impossible to ignore the connections between anti-semitic and anti-Israel activity in Europe at the moment,
The two have become so intimately intertwined that they are part and parcel of the same phenomenon.
Ignorance and suspicion are at the root of prejudice, and antisemitism is a prejudice much like any other maintains David Rosen, but anti-Jewish feeling seems to be particularly strong when there is a backdrop of unstable economic and social conditions.
Today people are more disorientated and alienated than ever before...
Religious leaders in Ireland cannot be partisan when it comes to political involvement, and as the representative of the Jewish community in Ireland he does not speak on the subject of the state of Israel. He is often contacted by the media to comment on the matter however, as at present there is no Israeli embassy in Ireland.
Reporter Colum Kenny wonders if there is still some of what might be termed 'old' anti-semitism still in existence? It is still there says Rabbi Rosen, but expressed with different words and terminology.
It's essentially all manifesting the same traditional prejudice and hatred.
This episode of 'Ireland’s Eye’ was broadcast on 31 March 1982. The reporter is Colum Kenny.
'Ireland's Eye' was a Tuesday-to-Friday series with human-interest stories and features from locations throughout Ireland. First broadcast on 7 October 1980, the programme ran until August 1983.
