International Christian Embassy Jerusalem, November 18, 2003

The Simon Wiesenthal Center has issued a travel advisory for Jews wishing to visit Greece suggesting they exercise extreme caution until authorities take appropriate measures to contain a rising tide of anti-Semitism and other expressions of hate, the Wall Street Journal has reported.

The warning comes after left-wing cultural icon and composer Mikis Theodorakis branded the Jewish people as "the root of evil" in the world, only weeks after outgoing Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad openly told a conference of Islamic heads of state that the Jews "rule the world."

Over the summer, caricaturist Dimitris Kitsikie classified the Jews as "the Greeks’ great rivals", vowing, "But we will defeat the Jews." Kitsikie made his remarks in an interview with the newspaper, Stochos, while discussing his March cartoon, equating the Nazi destruction of the Warsaw Ghetto with an Israeli attack on Ramallah.

In early November, Theodorakis, best known for scoring the film Zorba the Greek and The Ballad of Mauthausen, wrote a book on his work and ideas about the Jews as the source of evil in the world. At a press conference, Theodorakis said, "..they [the Jews] have fanaticism and succeed in imposing themselves. We can say today that this small people is at the root of evil, not of good."

In Israel, mass circulation Hebrew daily Yediot Ahronot jumped on the story with a front page headline, "Zorba the anti-Semite," prompting attempts by the Greek government to distance itself from the Theodorakis - whose comments were uncontested by two government ministers present at the event. Spokesman Christos Protopapas said, "The government does not share and does not agree with views expressed about the Jew during an event by Mr Mikis Theodorakis."

Later in his statement, Protopapas praised Theodorakis for his work and his contribution to the Greek culture. Yorgos Dardavillas with the Greek embassy in Tel Aviv, echoed the tone of the official statement, saying that Theodorkis, who has long been active in left-wing Greek politics, had made outrageous statements before, and that while people adore his music, his political ideas are supported by almost no-one.

Theodorakis’ comments were labeled as "the type made by Goebbels and Hitler by Justice Minister Yosef Lapid, himself a Holocaust survivor; and as "a symptom of the systematic flooding of Europe with incitement against the Jewish people and the State of Israel," by Yad Vashem chairman Avner Shalev.

In a statement released last Wednesday, Theodorakis expressed surprise about the outcry.