hooot A French romance
By Daniel Ben-Simon
On February 13, 2008, a new chapter will open in the historical romance between the Jews of France and their country. That evening, President Nicolas Sarkozy will go to the elegant hall where CRIF, the umbrella organization of French Jewry, is holding its annual dinner. When Theo Klein, CRIF's former president, inaugurated the event on February 13, 1985, he hoped to institute a modest gathering that would bring Jewish community heads and France's political leaders closer.
This is not a simple matter. In a country which identifies itself with secularism, any mention of origin, religious faith or race is considered something that undermines the republican fabric of the state. In the past, politicians accepted the Jewish community leaders' invitation only in order to calm down the dinner guests in the wake of a number of anti-Semitic outbreaks.
Over the past few years, prime ministers also began to attend the annual dinner but no one imagined that the president would participate in a communal event. Sarkozy has confirmed his attendance, causing tremendous excitement among the community's leaders. "This is a giant display of power for the Jews of France, one that is unprecedented," enthused Haim Musicant, director-general of CRIF in Paris. "There is no other event in France that funnels so many leaders into it."
Sarkozy's gesture testifies to the great change that has taken place in the lives of French Jewry since he was elected president. Following years of anxiety and uncertainty, a mood of calm can now be felt. During the past year, the number of incidents against Jewish targets has dropped by 30 percent - fewer than 200, the same number as was registered in only one month during 2001.
The number of hostile incidents connected to Israel has also diminished considerably. The slightly calmer mood between Israel and the Palestinians also affects relations between Muslims and Jews in France and has created a positive dynamic between the communities. Arab television channels have stopped broadcasting gory pictures from the territories. Musicant says there are no longer attacks on synagogues or Jewish institutions. "Here and there, there are complaints about cursing and shouting, all of which take place in poor, mixed neighborhoods," he says.
The number of threats against Jews has dropped from 139 in 2006 to some 90 in the past year. The year 2007 appears to be one of the quietest for French Jewry in a long time. The recent riots in certain immigrant neighborhoods north of Paris did not affect the Jews who were living there. In the previous wave of riots, in the autumn of 2005, demonstrators attacked synagogues and stores belonging to Jews.
"The Sarkozy effect" is working on French Jews like magic. They do not remember a single French president who has spoken to them so affectionately and who has even admitted openly that he is pro-Israel. In May, Sarkozy is due to visit Israel, when he will no doubt display his friendship and make remarks that will be music to Israeli ears. The president does not need his advisers' reports to know that eight out of 10 Jews in France voted for him, as did nine out of every 10 Israelis who have the right to vote in the French elections.
It is possible that this idyll is not shared by all. The calm in the lives of French Jews is likely to dissolve the hopes pinned on them by Jewish Agency aliyah emissaries. Before Sarkozy's election, thousands of Jews had increased their interest in making a move to Israel, and many even opened an aliyah file, in case Segolene Royal, the Socialist candidate, was elected president. Sarkozy's victory changed this picture and many of those who were candidates for aliyah have now shelved their plans. For the time being, at least.
The future of French Jewry depends, to a large extent, on the repressed anger of the Muslim immigrants. True, Sarkozy has appointed two Muslim women as members of his government, but he has not yet raised the immigrant community from the bottom rung of French society. If they rebel in the future, France will pay the price, and the Jews will once again find themselves in the whirlpool from which they have just been extricated.
On February 13, 2008, a new chapter will open in the historical romance between the Jews of France and their country. That evening, President Nicolas Sarkozy will go to the elegant hall where CRIF, the umbrella organization of French Jewry, is holding its annual dinner. When Theo Klein, CRIF's former president, inaugurated the event on February 13, 1985, he hoped to institute a modest gathering that would bring Jewish community heads and France's political leaders closer.
This is not a simple matter. In a country which identifies itself with secularism, any mention of origin, religious faith or race is considered something that undermines the republican fabric of the state. In the past, politicians accepted the Jewish community leaders' invitation only in order to calm down the dinner guests in the wake of a number of anti-Semitic outbreaks.
Over the past few years, prime ministers also began to attend the annual dinner but no one imagined that the president would participate in a communal event. Sarkozy has confirmed his attendance, causing tremendous excitement among the community's leaders. "This is a giant display of power for the Jews of France, one that is unprecedented," enthused Haim Musicant, director-general of CRIF in Paris. "There is no other event in France that funnels so many leaders into it."
Sarkozy's gesture testifies to the great change that has taken place in the lives of French Jewry since he was elected president. Following years of anxiety and uncertainty, a mood of calm can now be felt. During the past year, the number of incidents against Jewish targets has dropped by 30 percent - fewer than 200, the same number as was registered in only one month during 2001.
The number of hostile incidents connected to Israel has also diminished considerably. The slightly calmer mood between Israel and the Palestinians also affects relations between Muslims and Jews in France and has created a positive dynamic between the communities. Arab television channels have stopped broadcasting gory pictures from the territories. Musicant says there are no longer attacks on synagogues or Jewish institutions. "Here and there, there are complaints about cursing and shouting, all of which take place in poor, mixed neighborhoods," he says.
The number of threats against Jews has dropped from 139 in 2006 to some 90 in the past year. The year 2007 appears to be one of the quietest for French Jewry in a long time. The recent riots in certain immigrant neighborhoods north of Paris did not affect the Jews who were living there. In the previous wave of riots, in the autumn of 2005, demonstrators attacked synagogues and stores belonging to Jews.
"The Sarkozy effect" is working on French Jews like magic. They do not remember a single French president who has spoken to them so affectionately and who has even admitted openly that he is pro-Israel. In May, Sarkozy is due to visit Israel, when he will no doubt display his friendship and make remarks that will be music to Israeli ears. The president does not need his advisers' reports to know that eight out of 10 Jews in France voted for him, as did nine out of every 10 Israelis who have the right to vote in the French elections.
It is possible that this idyll is not shared by all. The calm in the lives of French Jews is likely to dissolve the hopes pinned on them by Jewish Agency aliyah emissaries. Before Sarkozy's election, thousands of Jews had increased their interest in making a move to Israel, and many even opened an aliyah file, in case Segolene Royal, the Socialist candidate, was elected president. Sarkozy's victory changed this picture and many of those who were candidates for aliyah have now shelved their plans. For the time being, at least.
The future of French Jewry depends, to a large extent, on the repressed anger of the Muslim immigrants. True, Sarkozy has appointed two Muslim women as members of his government, but he has not yet raised the immigrant community from the bottom rung of French society. If they rebel in the future, France will pay the price, and the Jews will once again find themselves in the whirlpool from which they have just been extricated.
posted by Romancey @ 9:32 AM,
