By Laurent Fabius and Bernard Cazeneuve, published in the New York Times July 10, 2014
Few democratic societies are as rich in populations of diverse origins as France’s. This is one of the many traits France shares with the United States. Both are countries of immigrants where citizenship is universal and does not depend on one’s ethnic or religious origins.
France, like other countries of the European Union, suffers from so-called “violent radical engagement,” whereby its citizens have been known to join militant activists abroad. One prime example of this phenomenon is French youth departing to Syria to join that country’s militant groups. This engagement of civilians in insurgent areas "in the name of the ummah" (community) is not a new occurrence, as French citizens have already taken part in the conflicts in Bosnia, Afghanistan, Chechnya, and Iraq, similarly in the name of jihad.
As long as European authorities fail to take drastic measures against anti-Israel instigators, murderous attacks on Jews will only increase.
It was only a matter of time. The writing – or, to be more precise, the writings – has been on the wall for years. And not just in Europe. I would even dare say that, surprisingly, there have only been a few murderous attacks against Jews or Jewish institutions.
Nowhere is the crisis of modernity felt more acutely than in France where for a quarter-century now globalization has brought moroseness and mistrust on an epic scale. Uneasy with capitalism, uncomfortable with flexibility, unpersuaded by the so-called Anglo-Saxon model, France has retreated into its rancor. Immigrants and openness have constituted threat more than possibility.
The shared fear of Muslims has not yet led major Jewish organizations to lift their boycotts against dubious politicians in far-right parties.
The investigation of Sunday’s shooting at the Jewish Museum in Brussel is still ongoing, and assessments regarding the motive are varied, but Belgian authorities say the attack, which is being investigated as a terror incident, has anti-Semitic characteristics.
“The surge of far-right and anti-Semitic parties in a number of countries is a shock and a reason for great worry. European leaders must address this problem urgently and come up with a strategy to fight extremism. The future of European Jewry is a stake if these forces are not reined in.
French President François Hollande will meet world leaders at next summer’s 70th anniversary commemorations of the D-Day landings, including US President Barack Obama, Queen Elizabeth II and Putin.
The CRIF will send a delegation to the AJC convention in Washington. During one week President Roger Cukierman and the delegation will visit the American Jewish leaders in New York and Washington. They will also meet with French Ambassadors to the UN and to the USA.
Roger Cukierman will also participate in two round tables at the AJC convention.
L’Association ProQuartet et la Médiathèque Alliance Baron Edmond de Rothschild vous proposent, dans le cadre du projet Esther, un cycle de redécouverte et de réhabilitation de compositeurs victimes des politiques d’exclusion des années 1933 à 1945. Concerts, projections, exposition, tables rondes permettront de porter un regard sur le destin de musiciens, juifs pour la plupart d’entre eux, contraints à l‘exil dans la période la plus sombre de l’histoire européenne, et d’engager une réflexion sur les questions de l’identité culturelle et de la transmission.
Lundi 24 mars 2014, 19 heures
Projection du documentaire « Les Musiciens du quatuor »
Suivie d’une table ronde, Musiciens viennois : exil et transmission
Richard Prasquier, CRIF and Malcolm Hoenlein, Conference of Presidents, speak together on May the 30th at the French Consulate Conference, in New York, listen to radio interview on Thursday, 3/22/12 on The John Batchelor Show, ITW.
Guests: Co-Host Malcolm Hoenlein, Conference of Presidents; Michael Widlanski, author; Commissioner Ray Kelly, NYPD; Richard Prasquier, CRIF.
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