So maybe you’ve heard by now that roaming bands of Muslim teenagers have set France and other parts of Europe on fire. If not, you probably shouldn’t be wasting your time here.
It sounds like a European Semite’s worst nightmare, but so far the rioting isn’t considered a “Jewish” problem.
Call it equal opportunity violence and vandalism. Isn’t that a relief?
But I did say “so far.” The reason this whole mess has gone on so long two weeks adds up to a whole lotta fried cars is because of political pettiness between lame-duck Jacques Chirac and Nicolas Sarkozy, the “hyper-ambitious, megalomaniacal” Interior Minister with designs on the French Presidency. Chirac chose to sit back the first four days of unrest and while Sarkozy fanned the flames by saying he was going to “clean up the scum,” referring to the torch-wielding teens of North African, sub-Saharan African and Arab descent.
According to Doug Ireland, that translation is way too kind:
“Karcher” is the well-known brand name of a system of cleaning surfaces by super-high-pressure sand-blasting or water-blasting that very violently peals away the outer skin of encrusted dirt — like pigeon-shit — even at the risk of damaging what’s underneath. To apply this term to young human beings and proffer it as a strategy is a verbally fascist insult and, as a policy proposed by an Interior Minister, is about as close as one can get to hollering “ethnic cleansing” without actually saying so.
Ouch, Sarko. So while only a couple of synagogues have been slightly damaged during France’s “national problem”, the winds could turn quickly if someone within the disorganization decides to hone in on the fact that Sarkozy is Jewish.
Do I sound paranoid? More and more everyday…
…It has long been known that French Jews are more French than Jewish. Don’t be surprised or angered that Sarkozy spoke out as a Frenchman, for all of the French citizenry. He does, after all, represent all of France as long as he is serving in the French national government.
Actually, I’m a french jew, so I may be able to speak about the french jews’ identity. At least better than “Denise” does.
“It has long been known that French Jews are more French than Jewish.” has said Denise… I think that it’s quite pathetic a sentence, I don’t know where you come from Denise, but french jews have a long history, quite complicated if you see what I mean, and France has been the first european country to give the citizenship to jewishs in 1791. So yes, lots of french jews are grateful to France, it doesn’t mean that they feel more french than jew or the contrary, as said Albert Cohen : “Je suis fran�ais de coeur et isra�lite d’ame” (” I feel french in my heart and jewish in my soul”).
Anyway, I just wanted to say that M Sarkozy isn’t actually jewish, he has jewish origins and he is closed to the jewish community but he isn’t jew.
Sorry for my bad level in english…
Noe, your English is fine; thank you for your perspective! Please keep us posted on what’s going on over the sea…
France get such a hugely antisemitic rap here in the states to the point that I have never visited despite world travels. Am I wrong?
Yes Paul, I think you’re wrong 😉 First because France is a great country to visit (and this is not just a demonstration of chauvinism, even if it looks like one…) Second, because the french jewish community is the third more important in the world (after Israel and the USA), so what are you waiting for ? For sur, there is antisemitism here, but it doen’t mean that you’re going to be attacked in the street by young arabic boys or dangerous skinheads because you’re jew. 30’s are gonne you know, maybe if M Jean-Marie Lepen wins the next elections I’ll change my opinion, but until that day… Come to see us, and not only Paris but there are very impressive communities also in Alsace for example (where I come from actually). Antisemitism is a problem, but I don’t think I’ll never leave France, because this is my country and I deserve to leave here just the same as M Lepen or M Chirac, you see, jews have built this country with other frenchs and deserve to like happy in this land (I’m thinking about L�on Blum, Pierre Mendes-France, Bergson etc.) Maybe all this will appear a little bit immature to you, but I’m only 19 so I have to be idealistic.