An anti-Semitic Christmas carol broadcast by the state-operated Romanian channel TVR has caused a scandal in the country.
The song played in the traditional way of a “colinda”, the Romanian Christmas carol, indirectly glorifies the Holocaust.
Romania’s Foreign Minister Titus Corlațean and the Israeli embassy in Bucharest expressed their concern.
“I consider it utterly unacceptable that in the 21st century anti-Semitism should further be expressed in various forms. I have taken note with concern and indignation of the program aired by TVR3 station on 6 December 2013”, Corlatean said in an official statement.
As reported by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA), the song was played already on 3 December by TVR3 Verde, a channel directed to rural communities. In the carol, sung by a choir, the “jidovi”, a derogatory term for Jews, are reproached for having “mocked” the Christ Child. “Only in the chimney, in the smoke, the ‘jidov’ is good”, the lyrics further say.
The Israeli Embassy in Bucharest and the Romanian Foreign Minister called for the public prosecutor’s office and the Parliament to take steps against the persons responsible for the broadcast.
In a statement, TVR disclaimed responsibility for the selection of the Christmas carols. The programme had been arranged by the Centre for Preservation and Promotion of Traditional Culture based in the region of Cluj and was “an uninspired choice”, it said.
The local NGO MCA Romania, a watchdog against anti-Semitism, said it wrote a letter of complaint to Romanian President Traian Basescu and to Prime Minister Victor Ponta, adding, “it is outrageous that nobody in the audience took a stance against that anti-Semitic Christmas carol that incites to burn Jews.”