A disease is spreading through the Western world: wokism, a form of self-hatred, now directed at Israel. This was the shared perspective among speakers at the Rome presentation of Italian journalist Fiamma Nirenstein’s latest book, La guerra antisemita contro l\u2019Occidente (The antisemitic war against the West), co-authored with Nicoletta Tiliacos and published by Giubilei Regnani. The event, held at Casina dei Vallati, featured historian Ernesto Galli della Loggia, senator Giulio Terzi di Sant\u2019Agata, and journalist Francesco Verderami as panelists alongside the author.
\nUnexpectedly, the event also included a special greeting from Minister for Equal Opportunities Eugenia Roccella, who expressed her deep connection with Israel. “I\u2019ve had a long-standing friendship with Israel since childhood,” Roccella said. She recalled the tension she felt growing up whenever Israel was under attack, adding that, in the aftermath of the tragic events of October 7, she felt disheartened by the brief show of solidarity, which quickly gave way to “a fierce and unbelievable wave of antisemitism\u2014an injustice I can hardly describe.”
\nThis resurgence of antisemitism sometimes hides \u201calso behind legitimate political criticism,” noted Antonella Di Castro, Vice President of the Jewish Community. Mario Venezia, President of the Shoah Museum Foundation, underscored the disturbing situation recalling that Holocaust survivor and life senator Liliana Segre was unable to walk the red carpet at the last Rome Film Festival for “security reasons.”
\nThe discussion then shifted to the content of the book and the broader topic at hand. “An antisemitic war against the West is underway, and unfortunately, the West hasn’t realized it yet,” warned Galli della Loggia. He highlighted the weakening of the \u201cvital relationship\u201d between Jews and Christians as a root cause of many problems and misunderstandings. In face of rising antisemitism, \u201cWe should not disarm. Not even intellectually and politically or in our knowledge of history and political commitment,\u201d urged senator Terzi di Sant\u2019Agata, who is also Italy\u2019s former Foreign Minister and Ambassador to Israel.
\nJournalist Francesco Verderami reflected on how “bad faith infiltrates ignorance,” emphasizing the need \u201cto protect and pass down our cultural origins and traditions to future generations, as young people today do not know, do not feel, and do not understand.”
\nIn her closing remarks, Fiamma Nirenstein pointed to the anti-Israel stance of major international organizations, which she characterized as “an attack on liberal democracies,” with Israel being the primary and most visible target. According to Nirenstein, “the Islamic world has tried everything to destroy Israel: communism, Nazism, the Arab Spring. Today, Iran has understood that it possesses a powerful unifying tool that extends beyond the Shia world.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"