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Michael Blume is on the Wiesenthal Center's "anti-Semite" list, but Jewish communities are behind him
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Bernd Weissbrod / dpa
The Wiesenthal Center, based in Los Angeles, has the anti-Semitism commissioner of the state of Baden-Württemberg, Michael Blume, on its global "anti-Semite list" for 2021.
Since 2019, Blume has liked anti-Jewish, anti-Israeli and conspiratorial Twitter accounts and distributed posts, according to the reasoning behind the ten most serious anti-Semitic incidents in the world.
In addition, Blume liked a Facebook post that compared Zionists with Nazis.
The organization did not write about which posts and which accounts were involved.
When asked, Blume initially did not want to comment.
However, he received clear support from the Israelite Religious Communities (IRG) in his state. "The Jewish communities in the state of Baden-Württemberg unanimously condemn the attempt to denigrate the anti-Semitism commissioner," said a joint press release. "To put a bridge builder between Baden-Württemberg and Israel on a common list of enemies of Israel is monstrous."
“We know Dr. Michael Blume has been an exceptionally committed and extremely competent fighter against anti-Semitism of all forms for almost two decades, as a friend of the Jewish community, «said Prof. Barbara Traub, spokeswoman for the IRG Württemberg board. "It would only be fair if the Simon Wiesenthal Center (...), in its assessments of people accused of anti-Semitism, also sought contact with the Jewish communities and their democratically elected representatives in advance."
The list has been criticized in the past.
In 2019, the German UN ambassador Christoph Heusgen was named on the list.
The Israeli ambassador to Germany, Jeremy Issacharoff, defended the diplomat and said: Such "really completely inappropriate" accusations would only make the discussion more difficult.
Deutsche Welle also listed
Blume is listed under item seven "Germany".
Deutsche Welle employees are also named there.
The Wiesenthal Center refers to reports in the »Süddeutsche Zeitung«, according to which members of the Arab service of Deutsche Welle made anti-Jewish and Holocaust-belittling comments.
At number one on the list is Israel's archenemy Iran, at number three is the BBC and the United Kingdom.
Established in 1977 and headquartered in Los Angeles, the center has become known for its global search for Nazi criminals in hiding.
But it also tries to promote tolerance and fights against racism, anti-Semitism, terrorism and genocide.
The center is named after the Austrian Simon Wiesenthal, himself a former concentration camp inmate.
Wiesenthal was responsible for the arrest of Adolf Eichmann, among other things.
hba / dpa