French Jews warn of new Kristallnacht

Theage.com.au/AFP ^ | 4/01/02 | staff

[LarryLied]

The Jewish community's official representation in France warned today of a "new Kristallnacht" after a series of attacks on Jewish targets over the weekend.

The Central Consistory in Paris said it was "profoundly worried by the repeated attacks on French synagogues," and called on the government immediately to step up protection of Jewish buildings and institutions.

"Without this, we would have no choice but to consider the Jewish community as living through the beginnings of a new Kristallnacht, with the government totally passive," the Consistory said in a statement.

Kristallnacht is the name given to the night of November 9, 1938, when German mobs embarked on an orgy of anti-Semitic violence with the encouragement of Adolf Hitler's Nazi government.

President Jacques Chirac added his voice to the growing condemnation of the violence, which he described as "extremely worrying." "Whether it's against places of worship, or Jewish people, or the things they represent -- it is totally unacceptable," Chirac said.

In the latest attack vandals set fire to the front of a synagogue in the eastern French city of Strasbourg early today, and Jewish leaders said it was provoked by a large anti-Israeli demonstration there the day before.

Petrol was poured on the doors of the synagogue in the Cronenbourg quarter, and the subsequent fire spread into the hall before being extinguished, but there was no serious damage.

"I am not surprised by the fire. On Saturday anti-Israeli cries were raised, but also cries of hate. The crowd was whipped up, which was wrong," said Gilbert Roos, honorary Israeli consul in the city.

Muslim groups had organised a march through Strasbourg yesterday in support of the Palestinian intifada and to protest at Israel's armed attack on Palestinian President Yasser Arafat's headquarters in Ramallah.

In other incidents, around 15 masked assailants smashed two cars into a synagogue in the southeastern French city of Lyon early yesterday, and last evening a man fired two shots from a shotgun at the front of a kosher butcher's in the southern city of Toulouse.

In Lyon, the leader of the local Muslim community, Kamel Kabtane, visited the La Duchere synagogue today in a gesture of solidarity.

"I am always available to do what is needed to send out a signal to those who want to sow hatred," he said.

Israeli leaders -- including Prime Minister Ariel Sharon -- have said French anti-Semitism is on the rise, but the government in Paris argues that the attacks are mainly the work of Muslims of North African origin and must be seen in the context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

[a_witness]

The Jewish community's official representation in France warned today of a "new Kristallnacht" after a series of attacks on Jewish targets over the weekend.

The Jews of France should prepare to flee to Israel. Their days in France are numbered. President George W. Bush is their last friend in the West.

[Stefan Stackhouse]

French anti-semitism has very deep roots, going back far before Hitler was even born. A good argument could be made that a century ago, France might well have been one of the most anti-semetic countries in the world. Looks like they may be coming full circle.

[glc1173@aol.com]

"Israeli leaders -- including Prime Minister Ariel Sharon -- have said French anti-Semitism is on the rise, but the government in Paris argues that the attacks are mainly the work of Muslims of North African origin and must be seen in the context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict." (Agence France Presse)

And what was it just sixty years ago - when France had no substantial Arab population, but French collaborators did most of the actual roundups of French Jews to be sent to the camps?

France's elites are in denial - or worse - about the extreme prevalence of anti-Semitism in France, among non-Moslems.

[eno_]

European anti-semitism never fully died. In fact, it is a bit too convenient to blame the Nazis and, more recently, the Soviets. It goes a long way toward explaining why there is this Eurotrash pro-Palestinian tendency in the face of all evidence that Israel is the closest thing to civilization in that part of the world.

[Twodees]

Seems that islam is being given far too much latitude in their hatred of Jews. If similar things start to happen in the US, I wonder whether the Bush administration will continue to run interference for these nazis.

[ladyjane]

France might well have been one of the most anti-semetic countries in the world.

The French don't like anybody except the French!

[Illbay]

The Euros are all so pious about "peace," (which they define as the absence of war, apparently) and they want you to think that all of history changed in 1945.

But in fact anti-Semitic sentiment runs centuries-deep in that place, and it's going to take more than a few generations for that to change.

[LarryLied]

The anti-Semitic attacks in 30's Nazi Germany had a political basis, also. Jews "ran everything", the theory went. "Jews were running things into the ground", and therefore it was acceptable to attack them and destroy them and everything representative of the Jewish people--as in, destroy their synagogues.

That was part of it but the primary cause was what happened in the Soviet Union. People were afraid the Ukrainian Holocaust would spread to all of Europe.

[Billy_bob_bob]

The "Ukrainian Holocaust", as you put it, is one of those bits of history that we are not supposed to talk about. Anybody who even mentions it is usually accused of being "anti-semetic". I hope you are wearing your asbestos skivvies, you are going to need them.

[Catphish]

But in fact anti-Semitic sentiment runs centuries-deep in that place, and it's going to take more than a few generations for that to change.

In a few generations France will look as much like Iraq, or Yemen or Iran as it does France today. There are some interesting demographic changes taking place there, to say the least. Then there will be some real anti-semitism in France.

[Aaron_A]

The muslims are just taking the fight past historical borders....

[TheHound]

Muslim groups had organised a march through Strasbourg yesterday in support of the Palestinian intifada and to protest at Israel's armed attack on Palestinian President Yasser Arafat's headquarters in Ramallah.

Let's see "voice of a Muslim"- "We should support the Palestinian Intifada by burning down a Synagogue in Italy".

Let's see "voice of an American"- "We should support the 3000 victims of 9/11 by burning down a Masque in ...?

We cannot descend to their level ... G_d I wish we would.

[Righty1]

If the Jews torched a few mosques the frenchies would quickly guard both synagogues and mosques in order to protect the cult of peace.

[EternalHope]

The French don't like anybody except the French!

You mean the French like the French?

[LarryLied]

Anybody who even mentions it is usually accused of being "anti-semitic".

Lol!...true enough.

"How beauteous mankind is!
O brave new world that has such people in it!'

[TheHound]

And in that space there is ambiguity.