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‘All Jews must leave France’ —Really?

The history of Jews in France is the history of Modern France.
[additional-authors]
January 26, 2015

Did the English leave England during WWII or did they head Winston Churchill’s words “NEVER NEVER NEVER Give in?”

Did French Jews emerge from the ashes of the Holocaust to rebuild in France now to be finally purged from France by Islamists? 

90,000 French Jews murdered in the Shoah and the recent murder of 4 and that’s it pack the bags and go? 

The history of Jews in France is the history of Modern France.  Without Jews France will cease to be France.  French Prime Minister Manuel Valls said:  “But if 100,000 Jews leave, France will no longer be France. The French Republic will be judged a failure”  The significance of this quote is not understood by most Americans or the world.  The historic significance must be understood.

Modern France was built upon the “Jewish Question.”  Without this Jewish Question there is no France.

There are aspects of French Judaism without which one can not understand France. 

France—The First European Nation to Afford Jews Full Citizenship.

September 27, 1791 France afforded full citizenship and the right to hold office in France for all Jews  “the first legally emancipated Jews in Europe, extending full citizenship to those who swore the civic oath that specifically renounced Jewish communal autonomy.” To secure Jewish Citizenship in “March 17, 1808, Napoleon issued three decrees:  the first created a Central Consistory, a hierarchical, centralized organization under the aegis of the Ministry of Religions that had a monopoly over the public expression of Judaism in France; [Which still exists today] the second mandated the documentation of all synagogues and required Jews to fix family names to assist in their regulation; the third became known as the ‘Infamous Decree.’  Valid for ten years, it limited where Jews could live, mandated military service, and created discriminatory restrictions on Jewish commerce and moneylending.  Louis XXIII did not renew the ‘Infamous Decree’ in 1818.” 

The term “Intellectual” is a word that grew out of the Dreyfus Affair.

“The concept and very word ‘Intellectual’ was introduced into every language and culture from the French Intellectual.  This term was first used widely at the height of the Dreyfus Affair.  The case of the Dreyfus Affair, a Jewish captain and member of the General Staff who was falsely accused of treason and found guilty by a military tribunal in 1894 had deeply divided France by 1898.”  The Dreyfus Affair reached a peak of scandal with the publication of an open letter to the President of the Republic by Emile Zola called:  “J’Accuse”.  “The letter indicted the military with perpetuating a grave injustice against an innocent citizen and demanded a revision of the verdict in the name of truth, justice and humanity.  The next day a group of university professors, scientists and writers published a “manifesto of the intellectuals” supporting Zola.

The birth of modern intellectualism sparked from the Dreyfus Affair and forged such great thinkers as Jean Paul Sartre.  Sartre was one of the greatest philosophers of modern times and dedicated a tremendous amount of his time to the Jewish Question made famous in his classic work:  “Reflexions sur La Question Juive”  Emanuel Levinas a French Jew wrote seminal philosophical works such as “Totality and Infinity”, “Otherwise than Being” who had a major influence on another well known French Jewish philosopher Jacques Derrida.  Henri-Louis Bergson another French Jewish major philosopher.  Then we come to Albert Camus in the league of non Jewish philosophers that were defenders of Jews.   Camus’ deepest connection to Judaism is depicted in his seminal philosophy of the absurd. In 1941, when the Nazi Vichy government of France was drafting a further chapter of anti-semitic laws through the ever willing French press Camus protested famously quitting his job at the Algerian Paris-Soir claiming any job would be better even working on a farm.  Camus published his famous essay: “The Myth of Sisyphus.” Opening with the famous Camus quote: “There is just one truly important philosophical question: suicide. To decide whether life is worth living is to answer the fundamental question of philosophy. Everything else … is child’s play; we must first of all answer the question.”  This of course was THE QUESTION given the Jewish Question—The Final Solution/Question in France of 1941.  Surely that question needed to be answered in 1941 as French Jews were sent off to the gas chambers.

Here we can understand why close to 4 million French marched in Paris under the heading Je Suis Charlie.  The national religion in France is Intellectualism.  The right to opine, write, philosophize, criticize and of course complain are hallmarks of French culture.   One should not be confused that the march had anything to do with the slaughter of Jews.  The murder of Jews at the Hyper Cacher event simply accentuated the horror of Charlie Hebdo but in and of itself had very little influence on the march.  Had the Hyper Cacher murders happened absent the slaughter of the Charlie Hebdo no march and no Je Suis…  But slaughtering an entire intellectual satirical newspaper strikes a blow to the very being of French identity. 

Anti Semitism in France  

It’s Netanyahu’s job to recruit Jews to Israel.  This is understandable.  Israel is the eternal homeland of the Jewish people and he is the leader calling the flock home.  However, it’s not so easy.  Its not easy to leave your home, leave your business, your work your family, your friends your roots and your France.  Certainly all Jews French and American have dreams of making Alliyah.  But sometimes the dream is best left a dream.  Often times reality doesn’t quite match the dream.  Arriving in Israel and making a go of it with a bar mitzvah level of Hebrew at best and trying to manage a new life amid other immigrants all fighting for survival amidst the toughest business men and toughest Israelis is no easy task.  My favorite question to ask anyone considering Alliyah is to cite ONE example of someone they know that made Alliyah and have been successful.  I’m not talking about retiring to Israel.  I am talking about the 45 year old husband and wife with three kids that make Alliyah and set up a new business or find work and adjust and become part of Israeli society.  Now certainly the 6.2 million Jews in Israel are proof of successful living in Israel they were all immigrants at some point in their family’s history.  But I am referring to new immigrants.  French middle class families that are packing up and moving to Israel to start all over or even American Jews making Alliyah.  How many success stories have you heard?  The point is its not easy.  Its enviable it’s a dream, it’s hard. 

Nevertheless, as a family member from France recently told me its safer for a Jew to be under the Rockets in Tel Aviv then to be under the rockets of Anti Semitism in France.  The daily onslaught of Anti Semitism in France is not well reported or understood by the rest of the world.  The destruction Mezuzot in the Sentier (French Garment District of Paris predominantly owned by French Jews) is a weekly occurrence.  No French Jews will wear the Magen David on a necklace as is proudly done by many Jewish Americans.  Many observant Jews will not wear a yamulkah when going to synagogue and will use a brown bag to hide their prayer books and tallit.  The launching of Molotov cocktails at Jewish day schools is a common event.  The riots and protests in the streets whenever Israel is in the news.  The papering of Paris with Anti Semitic and right wing leaflets and posters.  The beating of young and old Jews.  The desecration of synagogues and cemeteries.  The intimidation of all French by Muslims closing off entire streets for prayers.  Anyone attempting to photograph or record such events are harassed, beaten and their cameras destroyed.  The effective closure of entire banlieues to non immgrants (Essentially Muslims Only).  The police will not even venture into those areas. 

The answer is when France decides to protect its citizens including the Jews then Jews should feel comfortable in continuing to live and continue to contribute to La Republic that was founded on the Jewish Question.  A march that was long over due and only happened when French Intellectuals were murdered.  No such march or outcry of any significance occurred for the point blank assassination of Jewish Children in Toulouse in 2012.  No answer to the Affair of the Gang of Barbarians of 2006 that kidnapped and tortured Ilan Halimi for 21 days.  Burning and beating every inch of his body with acid, cigarettes and knives.  What about the home invasion and rape of a Jewish woman while her husband was held at bay in 2014.  You missed the marches for those events?

Until France cleans up its Republic and begins to address La Question Radical Islam Israel can and will provide a safe haven for its French Jews.  After all this is the reason that Israel was created.  Until France takes steps to protect its Jews.  Lets continue to feel good about parading and striking in France.  Ill prepare the posters:  Je Suis Juif, Je Sui Charlie, Je Sui GONE.  Au Revoir.

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