Limmud Oz 2021

With far right parties gaining power and influence across Europe, what should Jews know? This session will cover just a few facets of right-wing extremism across Europe. We'll focus especially on Germany’s new political party, the AfD (“Alternative für Deutschland”), a repository for anything to the right of the ultra-conservative Christian Democrat Party (CDU). Giving itself the veneer of a respectable popular party, it nevertheless incorporates much of the ideology of neo-Nazi and racist viewpoints, including the rejection of many basic international human rights. Inherent contradictions in Germany's Constitution have partially enabled this worrying trend, along with contradictions in how the state authorities deal with freedom of expression: neo-Nazi provocation – even when clearly non-compliant with the Constitution – is protected from protestors.