Questões de Inglês

NEW YEAR, NEW FEAR

[1]   As the New Year’s fireworks went up in German cities, a brief panic seized Munich, which had information about planned terrorist attacks at two railway stations. Those never occurred. But, much less noticed at first, a different sort of crime was occurring in Cologne and, to a lesser extent, in Hamburg and Stuttgart.

[2]   While partiers [foliões] gathered on the square between Cologne’s cathedral and railway station, a large group of young men, later described by the police as “looking North African or Arabic”, also massed there. Some threw fireworks into the crowd to cause panic. Then the men formed rings around individual women, so that police and onlookers could not see inside each huddle. According to over 100 women who subsequently filed complaints, the men groped the women sexually, while others stole their mobile phones, wallets or purses. One woman was raped.

[3]   Oddly, the Cologne police reported the following day that the festivities had been relaxed and peaceful. Only after scores of women came forward did the country react with rage. The interior and justice ministers promised to employ the full force of the law—even as the police had to admit that they as yet had no information to make individual arrests. Angela Merkel, the chancellor, called the assaults “disgusting” and demanded justice “without regard to origin or background”.

[4]   The assaults tapped into deep fears at a tense time, as Germany struggles with record numbers of refugees—more than 1 million in 2015, largely from Arab countries. Populist politicians were quick to infer a connection. Frauke Petry, boss of the xenophobic Alternative for Germany, blamed the outrage on the “terrible consequences of a catastrophic asylum and migration policy”.

[5]   There is no evidence yet that any of the criminals were refugees, as Cologne’s mayor, Henriette Reker, emphasised. Ms Reker personifies the conflicts straining German society. She ran for office as a non-partisan candidate with a liberal and welcoming attitude toward migrants. For that, a neo-Nazi extremist stabbed her at a campaign event in October. (She was elected the next day, while still in a coma.) If it is confirmed that some of the muggers, molesters and rapists were asylum-seekers, the damage to what is left of Germany’s “Welcome Culture” could be severe.

Adapted from The Economist, January 9, 2016.

ANTI-SEMITISM

[1]   In one Jewish school in London, pupils train for a possible terrorist attack. A synagogue has cancelled a children’s trip to Disneyland in France. Police and community groups have increased patrols in Jewish areas. After the murderous attack on a kosher supermarket in Paris on January 9th, British Jews are scared. Should they be?

[2]   Jews worried even before the killings. In a study of British Jews last year by the Institute for Jewish Policy Research (JPR), almost 70% said that they felt anti-Semitism had increased in the past five years. Considering the atrocities in Paris, it should come as no surprise that many Jews feel uneasy in a way that they have not for some time, says Ephraim Mirvis, Britain’s chief rabbi. But he cautions against alarmism. Indeed: though some statistics suggest otherwise, anti-Semitism is not rising.

[3]   Research last year from the Pew Global Attitudes survey suggests that just 7% of Britons hold unfavourable views of Jews. That is a little less than in France and much lower than in Italy or Greece, where the rates are 24% and 47% respectively. The figure in Britain has been fairly stable—varying between 7% and 9%—for a decade, points out Daniel Staetsky of JPR. Levels of prejudice against Muslims are higher in Britain, as in other European countries.

[4]   The Community Security Trust (CST), a charity that monitors anti-Semitic incidents, calculates that there were 529 in 2013, the lowest number since 2005. None involved serious violence. But the organization calculates that there was a rise in 2014. The first half of the year saw a 36% increase on 2013. Last July the CST recorded 302 incidents, its highest ever monthly total. London’s Metropolitan Police say the numbers of hate crimes against Jews reported last year almost doubled, though they remain low.

[5]   That has much to do with events elsewhere in the world. Anti-Semitic incidents tend to track violence in the Middle East. A sharp rise in 2009 coincided with Israel’s assault on the Gaza Strip. A rise in 2014 would coincide with Israel’s summer incursion into Gaza. Criticism of Israel is not the same as anti-Semitism, and the CST is careful to distinguish between the two. But, the organisation points out, the former can be used to bash Jews more generally.

[6]   The CST also notes that many incidents occur around the Jewish high holy days, when more people are going to and from synagogues. In 2013 incidents most commonly involved public verbal abuse hurled at visibly Jewish people, including shouts of “Heil Hitler” and “fucking Jewish bastards”. Changes in the demography of British Jews may exacerbate this. The haredi, or ultra-Orthodox, are a growing proportion of British Jews. Their clothes mark them out clearly as Jewish, as do the schools they attend and the areas where they live. As their numbers grow, abuse could increase, even as anti-Semitism more generally does not change.

Adapted from The Economist, January 24, 2015.

ANTI-SEMITISM

[1]   In one Jewish school in London, pupils train for a possible terrorist attack. A synagogue has cancelled a children’s trip to Disneyland in France. Police and community groups have increased patrols in Jewish areas. After the murderous attack on a kosher supermarket in Paris on January 9th, British Jews are scared. Should they be?

[2]   Jews worried even before the killings. In a study of British Jews last year by the Institute for Jewish Policy Research (JPR), almost 70% said that they felt anti-Semitism had increased in the past five years. Considering the atrocities in Paris, it should come as no surprise that many Jews feel uneasy in a way that they have not for some time, says Ephraim Mirvis, Britain’s chief rabbi. But he cautions against alarmism. Indeed: though some statistics suggest otherwise, anti-Semitism is not rising.

[3]   Research last year from the Pew Global Attitudes survey suggests that just 7% of Britons hold unfavourable views of Jews. That is a little less than in France and much lower than in Italy or Greece, where the rates are 24% and 47% respectively. The figure in Britain has been fairly stable—varying between 7% and 9%—for a decade, points out Daniel Staetsky of JPR. Levels of prejudice against Muslims are higher in Britain, as in other European countries.

[4]   The Community Security Trust (CST), a charity that monitors anti-Semitic incidents, calculates that there were 529 in 2013, the lowest number since 2005. None involved serious violence. But the organization calculates that there was a rise in 2014. The first half of the year saw a 36% increase on 2013. Last July the CST recorded 302 incidents, its highest ever monthly total. London’s Metropolitan Police say the numbers of hate crimes against Jews reported last year almost doubled, though they remain low.

[5]   That has much to do with events elsewhere in the world. Anti-Semitic incidents tend to track violence in the Middle East. A sharp rise in 2009 coincided with Israel’s assault on the Gaza Strip. A rise in 2014 would coincide with Israel’s summer incursion into Gaza. Criticism of Israel is not the same as anti-Semitism, and the CST is careful to distinguish between the two. But, the organisation points out, the former can be used to bash Jews more generally.

[6]   The CST also notes that many incidents occur around the Jewish high holy days, when more people are going to and from synagogues. In 2013 incidents most commonly involved public verbal abuse hurled at visibly Jewish people, including shouts of “Heil Hitler” and “fucking Jewish bastards”. Changes in the demography of British Jews may exacerbate this. The haredi, or ultra-Orthodox, are a growing proportion of British Jews. Their clothes mark them out clearly as Jewish, as do the schools they attend and the areas where they live. As their numbers grow, abuse could increase, even as anti-Semitism more generally does not change.

Adapted from The Economist, January 24, 2015.

ANTI-SEMITISM

[1]   In one Jewish school in London, pupils train for a possible terrorist attack. A synagogue has cancelled a children’s trip to Disneyland in France. Police and community groups have increased patrols in Jewish areas. After the murderous attack on a kosher supermarket in Paris on January 9th, British Jews are scared. Should they be?

[2]   Jews worried even before the killings. In a study of British Jews last year by the Institute for Jewish Policy Research (JPR), almost 70% said that they felt anti-Semitism had increased in the past five years. Considering the atrocities in Paris, it should come as no surprise that many Jews feel uneasy in a way that they have not for some time, says Ephraim Mirvis, Britain’s chief rabbi. But he cautions against alarmism. Indeed: though some statistics suggest otherwise, anti-Semitism is not rising.

[3]   Research last year from the Pew Global Attitudes survey suggests that just 7% of Britons hold unfavourable views of Jews. That is a little less than in France and much lower than in Italy or Greece, where the rates are 24% and 47% respectively. The figure in Britain has been fairly stable—varying between 7% and 9%—for a decade, points out Daniel Staetsky of JPR. Levels of prejudice against Muslims are higher in Britain, as in other European countries.

[4]   The Community Security Trust (CST), a charity that monitors anti-Semitic incidents, calculates that there were 529 in 2013, the lowest number since 2005. None involved serious violence. But the organization calculates that there was a rise in 2014. The first half of the year saw a 36% increase on 2013. Last July the CST recorded 302 incidents, its highest ever monthly total. London’s Metropolitan Police say the numbers of hate crimes against Jews reported last year almost doubled, though they remain low.

[5]   That has much to do with events elsewhere in the world. Anti-Semitic incidents tend to track violence in the Middle East. A sharp rise in 2009 coincided with Israel’s assault on the Gaza Strip. A rise in 2014 would coincide with Israel’s summer incursion into Gaza. Criticism of Israel is not the same as anti-Semitism, and the CST is careful to distinguish between the two. But, the organisation points out, the former can be used to bash Jews more generally.

[6]   The CST also notes that many incidents occur around the Jewish high holy days, when more people are going to and from synagogues. In 2013 incidents most commonly involved public verbal abuse hurled at visibly Jewish people, including shouts of “Heil Hitler” and “fucking Jewish bastards”. Changes in the demography of British Jews may exacerbate this. The haredi, or ultra-Orthodox, are a growing proportion of British Jews. Their clothes mark them out clearly as Jewish, as do the schools they attend and the areas where they live. As their numbers grow, abuse could increase, even as anti-Semitism more generally does not change.

Adapted from The Economist, January 24, 2015.

ANTI-SEMITISM

[1]   In one Jewish school in London, pupils train for a possible terrorist attack. A synagogue has cancelled a children’s trip to Disneyland in France. Police and community groups have increased patrols in Jewish areas. After the murderous attack on a kosher supermarket in Paris on January 9th, British Jews are scared. Should they be?

[2]   Jews worried even before the killings. In a study of British Jews last year by the Institute for Jewish Policy Research (JPR), almost 70% said that they felt anti-Semitism had increased in the past five years. Considering the atrocities in Paris, it should come as no surprise that many Jews feel uneasy in a way that they have not for some time, says Ephraim Mirvis, Britain’s chief rabbi. But he cautions against alarmism. Indeed: though some statistics suggest otherwise, anti-Semitism is not rising.

[3]   Research last year from the Pew Global Attitudes survey suggests that just 7% of Britons hold unfavourable views of Jews. That is a little less than in France and much lower than in Italy or Greece, where the rates are 24% and 47% respectively. The figure in Britain has been fairly stable—varying between 7% and 9%—for a decade, points out Daniel Staetsky of JPR. Levels of prejudice against Muslims are higher in Britain, as in other European countries.

[4]   The Community Security Trust (CST), a charity that monitors anti-Semitic incidents, calculates that there were 529 in 2013, the lowest number since 2005. None involved serious violence. But the organization calculates that there was a rise in 2014. The first half of the year saw a 36% increase on 2013. Last July the CST recorded 302 incidents, its highest ever monthly total. London’s Metropolitan Police say the numbers of hate crimes against Jews reported last year almost doubled, though they remain low.

[5]   That has much to do with events elsewhere in the world. Anti-Semitic incidents tend to track violence in the Middle East. A sharp rise in 2009 coincided with Israel’s assault on the Gaza Strip. A rise in 2014 would coincide with Israel’s summer incursion into Gaza. Criticism of Israel is not the same as anti-Semitism, and the CST is careful to distinguish between the two. But, the organisation points out, the former can be used to bash Jews more generally.

[6]   The CST also notes that many incidents occur around the Jewish high holy days, when more people are going to and from synagogues. In 2013 incidents most commonly involved public verbal abuse hurled at visibly Jewish people, including shouts of “Heil Hitler” and “fucking Jewish bastards”. Changes in the demography of British Jews may exacerbate this. The haredi, or ultra-Orthodox, are a growing proportion of British Jews. Their clothes mark them out clearly as Jewish, as do the schools they attend and the areas where they live. As their numbers grow, abuse could increase, even as anti-Semitism more generally does not change.

Adapted from The Economist, January 24, 2015.

ANTI-SEMITISM

[1]   In one Jewish school in London, pupils train for a possible terrorist attack. A synagogue has cancelled a children’s trip to Disneyland in France. Police and community groups have increased patrols in Jewish areas. After the murderous attack on a kosher supermarket in Paris on January 9th, British Jews are scared. Should they be?

[2]   Jews worried even before the killings. In a study of British Jews last year by the Institute for Jewish Policy Research (JPR), almost 70% said that they felt anti-Semitism had increased in the past five years. Considering the atrocities in Paris, it should come as no surprise that many Jews feel uneasy in a way that they have not for some time, says Ephraim Mirvis, Britain’s chief rabbi. But he cautions against alarmism. Indeed: though some statistics suggest otherwise, anti-Semitism is not rising.

[3]   Research last year from the Pew Global Attitudes survey suggests that just 7% of Britons hold unfavourable views of Jews. That is a little less than in France and much lower than in Italy or Greece, where the rates are 24% and 47% respectively. The figure in Britain has been fairly stable—varying between 7% and 9%—for a decade, points out Daniel Staetsky of JPR. Levels of prejudice against Muslims are higher in Britain, as in other European countries.

[4]   The Community Security Trust (CST), a charity that monitors anti-Semitic incidents, calculates that there were 529 in 2013, the lowest number since 2005. None involved serious violence. But the organization calculates that there was a rise in 2014. The first half of the year saw a 36% increase on 2013. Last July the CST recorded 302 incidents, its highest ever monthly total. London’s Metropolitan Police say the numbers of hate crimes against Jews reported last year almost doubled, though they remain low.

[5]   That has much to do with events elsewhere in the world. Anti-Semitic incidents tend to track violence in the Middle East. A sharp rise in 2009 coincided with Israel’s assault on the Gaza Strip. A rise in 2014 would coincide with Israel’s summer incursion into Gaza. Criticism of Israel is not the same as anti-Semitism, and the CST is careful to distinguish between the two. But, the organisation points out, the former can be used to bash Jews more generally.

[6]   The CST also notes that many incidents occur around the Jewish high holy days, when more people are going to and from synagogues. In 2013 incidents most commonly involved public verbal abuse hurled at visibly Jewish people, including shouts of “Heil Hitler” and “fucking Jewish bastards”. Changes in the demography of British Jews may exacerbate this. The haredi, or ultra-Orthodox, are a growing proportion of British Jews. Their clothes mark them out clearly as Jewish, as do the schools they attend and the areas where they live. As their numbers grow, abuse could increase, even as anti-Semitism more generally does not change.

Adapted from The Economist, January 24, 2015.