In obedience to Joe's injunction to continue in this thread: without wishing to stir up previous hostilities which we have to a considerable extent been done to deah in the old one ~ a worrying recent report [extracts & URL below] on current Italian antisemitism forwarded by a Californian Jewish friend who much concerns himself with such matters (which I don't myself in the normal course of events) saeems so germane to much we had to say there as to be worth a reference:

~M~

Runaway Anti-Semitism Trampling Italy
by Soeren Kern 
October 27, 2011 at 5:00 am

http://www.hudson-ny.org/2538/anti-semitism-italy

A jarring 44% of Italians are prejudiced or hostile towards Jews, according to a new research study released by the Italian Parliament on October 17.
The inquiry found that nearly half of all Italians say they feel no sympathy whatsoever toward the Jews. There has also been an exponential proliferation of anti-Semitic Internet websites and social networks in Italy. Moreover, the level of hatred against the State of Israel in many cases passes the limits of legitimate criticism of Israeli policies and aims at the destruction of the Jews.
(12% of Italians) holds "contingent" anti-Semitic views such as "Jews use the Holocaust to justify Israeli policy;" "Jews talk too much about their own tragedies and disregard the tragedies of other people" and "The Jews behave like Nazis with the Palestinians."