The discussion also bore on the conclusions of the Wajsbrot Commission, set up in the wake of the statements made by President Sarkozy’s at this year’s CRIF dinner concerning ways of remembering the Holocaust. For the minister, the commission has put forward a number of very reasonable educational suggestions, and CRIF agrees.
Richard Prasquier drew the minister’s attention to the political activism of some teachers when it comes to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, an attitude which has obvious repercussions on the content of their teaching. In reality, under the cover of neutrality, a totally biased presentation is made of the problems in the Middle East. One should also not forget the harmfulness of certain human chains and blogs.
Concerning violence both inside and outside of schools, Xavier Darcos revealed a recent statistic that, he said, showed they have decreased: only 0.3% of such acts are identified as anti-Semitic. This would appear to be less than reality because the qualification of such acts is sometimes vague and does not take into account the fact that affected families often prefer to adopt a low profile. Everybody agrees however that the situation of very young Jewish children who are assaulted on their way to and from school, in particular near metro stations, is extremely worrying.
The idea was launched of setting up programmes to encourage “tolerance and living together”. Richard Prasquier expressed the desire to have access to a list of such initiatives already in place. In addition, it would be necessary to have a list of the top fifteen or so areas identified as being difficult, which could serve as test areas.
This fight against intolerance in the school environment will require the involvement of trade unions and parents’ associations. For, as Haim Musicant, General Director of CRIF pointed out, it will be these same organisations that will be in Geneva in April 2009 for the “Durban 2” Conference, with its agreed agenda and spin-offs: Jewish lobby, money…
The agenda for the meeting of European ministers scheduled for 27 November in Bordeaux does not include moral or societal issues, however there is nothing to prevent envisioning a training programme for teachers. The minister readily agrees.
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