Casa Sefarad-Israel on anti-Semitism in Spain.

The Pew Research Center published a report about anti-Semitism and Islamophobia in Spain, Poland, Russia, Germany, France, Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States. The report dates from 2008 and showed that 46% of the Spaniards had unfavourable views towards the Jews.

Worried about the results of the report, the Spanish Government made the Casa Sefarad-Israel (an institution centred on the study of Jews and dedicated to foment Spanish-Israeli relations) to take on the issue. Finally, a new report was published, which found the following results:

1.- 58.4% of the Spaniards think that the "Jews have much power because they control the economy and the media". Among university students this attitude encompasses the 62.2%, and among people "interested in politics" this attitude encompasses the 70.5%. All of this means that anti-Semitism in Spain is highly worrying and intolerable, due to its level and to the fact that it's higher among educated and informed people.

2.- 34.6% of the Spaniards have unfavourable or totally unfavourable opinions about the Jews. This attitude encompasses 34% of the far-rightists (who rate the Jews with 4.9 points in a scale from 1 to 10) and 37.7% of centre-left-wingers (who rate the Jews with 4.6 points in a scale from 1 to 10). This case is unique in Europe because far-rightists show less unpleasantness towards the Jews than centre-left-wingers.

3.- Among those who admit to be "unpleasant towards the Jews", 17% of them attribute this attitude to the "Middle East conflict"; 29.6% of them attribute this attitude to "their religion", "their customs", "the way they are", etc.; others among them attribute this attitude to "general unpleasantness", "the power" and "the money"; 17% of them attribute this attitude to reasons they don't know. This means that only a small percentage of the Spaniards show unpleasantness towards the Jews due to "the State of Israel and its policies".

Jewish religious traditions and history left out by laSexta Noticias.

On Thursday, September 9, 2010, laSexta Noticias broadcasted twice a news report on one of the most important Jerusalem's Holy Places: the one known as Har haBayit or Temple Mount by the Jews, and as al-Haram ash-Sharif or Noble Sanctuary by the muslims.

The report was first broadcasted at lunchtime. Helena Resano, the anchorwoman, made an explanatory introduction before the actual report by Sal Emergui was broadcasted. During the introduction, Helena Resano commented on the fact that this Holy Place is the Noble Sanctuary, sacred to muslims, but ommitted the fact that it also is the Temple Mount, sacred to Jews. She also reported on Ariel Sharon's visit to the site on September 28, 2000, as the main cause of the Second Intifada.

The actual report by Sal Emergui was then broadcasted. Only at the end was mentioned the fact that the site is also a Jewish Holy Place. But once this was explained, an interview with Muhammad Ahmad Hussein, current Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, was shown, in which he clearly denied the Jewish historical and religious ties with the site. Any single spokesperson of the rabbinical authorities has been interviewed by Sal Emergui.

The report was broadcasted again at dinnertime. Again, an explanatory introduction was made, in this case by Mamen Mendizábal, the anchorwoman. Again it was told that the site is the Noble Sanctuary, excluding the fact that it also is the Temple Mount.

Then was broadcasted the actual report by Sal Emergui. This time other words were used and the Jewish historical and religious ties with the site were excluded, while the aforementioned interview with the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem was shown again. And again, any single spokesperson of the rabbinical authorities was interviewed.

This is the way laSexta Noticias has left Jewish religious traditions and history out.