Posted on 03/03/2006 4:55:51 AM PST by I am for Bush
New York’s French Consul General Francois Delattre attempted to reassure American Jewish leaders Tuesday that France was committed to eradicating the “black shadow of anti-Semitism,” in the wake of the shocking murder of a young French Jew who was abducted for ransom.
“You can trust my government, you can trust my authorities, you can trust my country” to aggressively combat anti-Semitism, Delattre told Jewish communal professionals and lay leaders, who met in New York to show solidarity with their French counterparts.
Despite such assurances, the kidnapping and murder of 23-year-old Ilan Halimi has jolted France’s already uneasy Jewish community — still reeling from the wave of anti-Semitic attacks that coincided with the second intifada — and reignited the debate over whether or not France is a safe place for its 600,000 Jews.
Halimi, a cell phone salesman, had very modest means but his kidnappers assumed he was wealthy because he was Jewish, according to French police.
“Whenever there is an anti-Semitic act, we ask the same questions: Are we secure in France? Is the government protecting us? Are the police protecting us?” Benjamin Abtan, president of France’s powerful Jewish student union, UEJF, told The Jewish Week by phone from Paris.
(Excerpt) Read more at cjp.org ...
I am baffled as to why more Jewish groups are not pressuring french Jews to emigrate? We would be lucky to get a group of people who have good ethics when it comes to work, education and entreprenuership. Instead we get mexicos thirld worlders. As to defiance, there comes a point in time where the motto, you live to fight another day comes to mind. france will not protect Jewish people, it never has, Jews who insist on staying will simply perish, due to their own denial. I cant worry about them, I have to worry about those who wish to get out and make a better life. They are where we need to focus on.
1999? My God! It is easy to blame the Muslims for their hatred, after all they shout if from the rooftops. The quiet ones are the ones to watch. A "Jew" comes in all colors. My bf is Jewish, and looks like he's Jewish. His children don't look Jewish. You'd never know his sister and brother in law, and their children, were Jewish.
Everyone who is aware will not be travelling anywhere outside the US. It stinks, but I'd rather be safe. This country has a bounty of natural wonders and historical sites, besides those attractions for pure pleasure.
I hear what you're saying. It's a damn shame to just sit back and watch, though.
I would definitely trade some of the third world illegals for people who can actually contribute something to this country, and have a good reason to emigrate here. The young man who was tortured and murdered should be a wake up call for not only French Jews, but for the French Christians as well. Once the Muslims run out of Jews, they'll come for the Christians.
They where not acting alone many French fought the German occupation in this way. Of course there where collaborators, and it's fair to say they existed in every German occupied country.
I just hope the French political landscape changes very soon and the USA and conservative France can be reconciled. :-)
"One of the things my dad mentioned was seeing a young woman crucified on the side of a barn. It wasn't the Germans who did it. "
War is often a grotesque affair, I cannot speak for this individual case, but quite often collaborators where "lynched" by mobs after liberation.
"My apologies if you thought I was tarring every single French person with the same brush. Your aunt and grandpa showed an enormous amount of courage, as well as all the members of the Resistance."
Thank you for that comment it raises you up in my estimation, also I wanted to let you know a fact within my family. My parents keep in close contact with an American and British airman's families who where smuggled into Switzerland and to the British Isles respectively by my grandfather's cell. The families write and share information about their families and lives. In fact while I was growing up , we made a student exchange where I lived in Washington DC for a summer and the American family sent their daughter to live in Paris with my parents. The last time the families visited us was during the war 50 year memorial some years ago. This for me is the real "war history" something I can touch and see with my own eyes. This lasting legacy of friendship and respect is what is important in my opinion, there are many French and American families joined in this way, in fact to this day France has many associations that can facilitate in this exchange by tracing people in both France and America / Britain.
thats not correct then, there are millions of devout French who do not spit on the bible. Myself included
Even as a child, I saw the hypocrisy of shaving a woman's head and marching her down the street with her half German baby. I don't consider survival tactics as collaboration. Seems to me that we confuse the population with their government. Like the Russians, for instance.
I hope that the French can bring in a conservative government, and some control over their Muslim population, before it's too late. I know they helped us during the Revolutionary War, but it was more to punk Great Britain that to help us ;-) Either way, we benifitted.
War is completely grotesque. You've heard of the old joke about the tree lined streets in France? Well, they used to string piano wire across the road to decapitate motorcycle messengers.
There were some real heroes out of that war. Thank you for reminding me, and everyone else reading your posts. You must be sick of all the French bashing by now. Years ago, I was on a private message board on Yahoo, that dealt with sociopaths in our lives. There was one member named Jackie, and she lived in France. Obviously every culture and system is different, and she had been put on medical leave from her job, and couldn't find another one because of her age. Mind you, this was 5 yrs ago, but I still wonder what happened to her. She was a multilingual translator for the American Army after WWII, but couldn't get a visa to emigrate to the US. She married someone like my ex, her own family was pretty hateful as well. Some of us investigated immigration policies from various countries to get her away from a very bad situation. I told her to get a tourist visa, and come live with me. I'd rather have someone like her living here on an expired tourist visa, than Mohammed Atta(of course I was thinking of run of the mill illegal immigrants at the time-not the 9/11 nightmare). Anyway, her cat died, and she quit posting. Like I said, I still think about her.
It probably comes across that we hate everyone who is French. That's unfair, and I know that.
Thank you for posting your family's story. Those airmen owed their lives, and it is wonderful that you all were able to stay in touch.
Ah but so much damage to undo after such a long legacy of socialist policy making.
"and some control over their Muslim population, before it's too late."
Again is this possible now? cities like Marseilles are almost unrecognizable to me an an adult, during my childhood I could recognize the French heritage quite easily, they are more akin with the Tunisian and Moroccan countries that i have visited these days.
"There were some real heroes out of that war. Thank you for reminding me, and everyone else reading your posts. ."
There where some great heroes of the day in France, I remember the friendly taunts my English Father would have with my French Grandfather (both where in the forces) when I was a child, I understand them better now for what they where. My Grandfather spoke of the fear of betrayal and discovery that was constant living amongst the enemy not knowing when discovery or betrayal would occur. This was a different kind of courage not more or less than any other soldier faced but it was a different kind of service during the war that is all. I can only guess and wonder what it must have been like.
"You must be sick of all the French bashing by now"
No because in some ways I am often in agreement with those comments, sounds strange yes?
I remember quite well the 9/11 morning sitting in a hotel room in New York as I was visiting my sister (she worked at Goldman Sachs and was late that morning)
I remember the painful sights that we all saw heard the calls of loved ones on cell phones and wept yes wept for them and their loses especially when I heard the fate of the firemen and policemen.
I remember feeling so proud of my country on the day when France said in support of the American people that same day (9/11) Today in France we are all Americans. Again this brought me to tears.
Now unfortunately my country has again brought me to tears, but not with hope or pride, but with shame this time.
Over the veto in the security council against the US led resolution there can only be shame in my opinion.
"It probably comes across that we hate everyone who is French. That's unfair, and I know that. "
No I think that there are some hurt feelings in the USA and that will take much time to repair previous good relations. I can only hope a common enemy and a return to conservative government in France will see this opportunity blossom.
That's not right. That's our future if we don't watch out. America has always had ethnic neighborhoods, but not at the expense of the general population. Anything is possible with the Lord's help. We that pray, need to pray that they don't take over here.
There where some great heroes of the day in France, I remember the friendly taunts my English Father would have with my French Grandfather (both where in the forces) when I was a child, I understand them better now for what they where. My Grandfather spoke of the fear of betrayal and discovery that was constant living amongst the enemy not knowing when discovery or betrayal would occur. This was a different kind of courage not more or less than any other soldier faced but it was a different kind of service during the war that is all. I can only guess and wonder what it must have been like.
This is where we in America are heading for....Betrayal. Look at the Clinton's track record, for pete's sake! My dad never was one for talking, but when he did say something, I paid attention. Socialism sucks.
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