Posted on 04/25/2017 6:19:14 AM PDT by Kaslin
Should French Jews fear the potential election of Marine Le Pen? Should they leave France if she wins the presidency, per the advice of a leading rabbi? Is she rightly characterized as a “hate” candidate, following in the footsteps of her Holocaust-denying father? And is she right in calling for France’s Jews to make certain sacrifices, since she will ask Muslims to do the same?
The short answer is: It’s complicated but clear. Let me explain why.
According to Francis Kalifat, president of the CRIF umbrella group of French Jewish communities, Le Pen is a “candidate of hate” and Jews should unite around Emmanuel Marcon, even if they differ with his policies. That’s how dangerous Le Pen will be for France’s Jews.
Speaking from Moscow, Russian Chief Rabbi Berel Lazar warned that France is “heading toward radicalization.” He stated plainly that, “If Marine Le Pen is elected president of France, the Jews must leave.”
Are these men overreacting?
Let’s remember that Marine Le Pen is not her father, Jean-Marie Le Pen, founder of the rightwing National Front Party, now led by Marine.
Jean-Marie has been fined multiple times for Holocaust denial, once saying, “If you take a 1,000-page book on World War II, the concentration camps take up only two pages and the gas chambers 10 to 15 lines. This is what one calls a detail.”
But Marine Le Pen has thrown her father out of the party and denounced his views. Why should she be held accountable for her father’s transgressions?
Let’s also remember that the threat of radical Islam is real and requires some extreme measures. That’s why Le Pen recently tweeted, “Hate preachers must be expelled, the Islamist mosques closed.” (Note that “Islamist” means “radical Muslim.”)
Shouldn’t French Jews embrace this kind of thinking, since they have often been targets of Islamic violence? Or is it possible that French Jews skew liberal by default, just as American Jews do, meaning that they will not side with a strong nationalism even when it’s in their best interest?
This is why I say that the relationship between Marine Le Pen and French Jews is complicated. She is not her father, and she has expelled other anti-Semites from her party. Perhaps her policies would be in the best interest of France’s Jews?
I think not. As much as radical Islam requires a firm hand of resistance, Le Pen presents real problems for French Jews.
As noted by the JTA, “Le Pen recently called for banning the wearing of the kippah in public and for making it illegal for French nationals to also have an Israeli passport — steps she said were necessary because of the principle of equality in order to facilitate similar limitations on Muslims.
Le Pen has said radical Islam is a ‘threat on French culture’ and has called on Jews to make certain ‘sacrifices’ in order to fight jihadism.”
And herein lies the problem: She is treating Jews and Muslims alike to the point of penalizing Jews for the crimes of radical Muslims.
Why shouldn’t French Jews be allowed dual citizenship? Has their solidary with Israel over the decades damaged the people of France? Has it made them any less loyal citizens? Have they plundered France to aid and abet Israel?
And why shouldn’t a Jewish man be allowed to wear a head-covering? And what about his beard, if that is part of his religious identification? Must he shave his beard too? And is Le Pen requiring Catholic priests and nuns not to wear their ritual attire? For that matter, is she requiring Catholics not to wear crosses? If not, why single out religious Jews? Why not deal with radical Muslims as such without penalizing everyone else (including moderate Muslims)?
Where are the Jewish terrorists in France? How many have murdered policemen in cold blood while shouting out pro-Israeli slogans? How many have rammed trucks into civilians, slaughtering dozens? How many have massacred scores of concert-goers? How many have attacked restaurants and killed as many diners as they could? How many have broken into magazine headquarters and butchered anti-Jewish journalists?
As Amiel Unger in an op-ed for HaAretz, “Marine Le Pen's instinct is right: fighting an Islamic takeover requires France to shed its guilt and shame over its past. But her desire for a foolish 'consistency' means Vichy and Jewish identity are also included.”
All too often in Jewish history, the Jewish people have been scapegoated whenever hard times befell the countries in which they lived. It’s all because of the Jews! The Jews poisoned the wells and caused the Black Plague! The Jews caused the economic collapse of Germany! It’s the fault of the Jews!
Should extreme nationalism prevail in France, it could dangerous for France’s Jews. “Why can’t they just be French? Why they must insist on being Israelis too? Why must they insist on being Jews? Either they shed their identity, or they go.”
Ideally, France must resist the Islamization of their country and deal forcefully with radical Islam. But they must do it without penalizing their loyal Jewish population.
If Le Pen wins the election, they should be on their guard.
I think anyone should be allowed to wear whatever he/she wants as long as the complete face is visible at all times. That may mean no beards but I don’t think so. Head coverings of any type okay, again, as long as it only covers the hair. goggles only if riding a bike or motorcycle. Same with helmets. Its all about being able to id someone.
France cannot win for losing. ‘Seems they’ll always be crackpots regardless what prevails.
Did anyone here actually read the article? Just asking for a friend.
Stockholm Syndrome.
I did, and it is kind of sad. The author approaches this very open-mindedly, considers both sides’ arguments fairly, and then comes to the wrong conclusion.
If LePen doesn’t win, Jews will have to leave France, because France will be joining the Caliphate.
If LePen wins, they may or may not have some restrictions; but
Orthodox Jews can still wear head coverings (ie, baseball caps),
which is in effect what they have to do now (to avoid being
publicly identified by Islamics as Jews).
IE, LePen is better for the Jews of France, imho.
France for the French.
The story of Joan of Arc has always fascinated me. This my be history repeating itself. She will save France but be sold out by those she trusts and murdered by her enemies.
Perhaps their Revolution, Terror and Napoleonic Wars thinned the gene pool to much.
France has lost most of the wars it has fought since 1689.
This is what's wrong with secularism. Between the true religion and false religions there can be no equality. All people, nations, and governments should recognize HaShem as the One True G-d and the Jews as His Chosen People. That or the Jews should form a Theocratic state within a state, as all Jews lived in prior to the so-called "enlightenment."
I think we've had enough secularism of all ideologies.
Think about this; there are some older Jewish people who were around when Hitler was trying to kill them. Somehow and for whatever reason they stayed in France; but now they must leave because of the muslim animals.
Actually 75% of Jews living in France before the war, survived, a very high rate amongst the occupied countries.
Jews who were actually French citizens were more or less protected by Vichy, but they were more than happy to get rid of their “alien” Jews. Especially since the Germans told them that they were being sent to “Family Camps”. Sadly, the result of the French believing that was the case, was that they insisted that the children travel with their parents to the East.
Funny, isn’t it?
The Left keeps telling us that Conservatives hate women and that’s the big reason Hillary lost.
Now they’re upset because we like a right wing female for President of France.
Must be hard to live in their heads what with all the cognitive dissonance going on...
I dont’ trust Le Pen, but she is right on dual citizenship. You can only be loyal to one country at a time
You actually think that Philippe Pétain and Pierre Laval believed the Nazi excuses?
Le Pen is a French nationalist. That means she believes that ethnically French people and French culture have a privileged position in French society. She does not believe that French people have any obligation to give equal privilege to Muslims or Jews or english speakers any other non-French group. It is what it is. If France were not a European Christian country, it would be non controversial for the state to favor the symbols, culture and interests of the majority ethnic group.
In France, there is a political divide in the Jewish community with younger, Orthodox, less affluent and non-Ashkenazi Jews leaning more towards the FN. For example, Eric Zemmour, author of the outstanding “Le Suicide Français” is from a Berber speaking Moroccan Jewish background.
If you'd like to be on or off, please FR mail me.
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Sure, wear a Yankees hat because that's what the government of France requires. And heck, let the Jews eat vegetables. Sure, Marine is a friend of the Jews. Who, if at all observant, may well need to look for new homes should France go the way of Le Pen.
And they can eat vegetables! How nice of France.
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