By Laurent Fabius and Bernard Cazeneuve, published in the New York Times July 10, 2014
Few democratic societies are as rich in populations of diverse origins as France’s. This is one of the many traits France shares with the United States. Both are countries of immigrants where citizenship is universal and does not depend on one’s ethnic or religious origins.
France, like other countries of the European Union, suffers from so-called “violent radical engagement,” whereby its citizens have been known to join militant activists abroad. One prime example of this phenomenon is French youth departing to Syria to join that country’s militant groups. This engagement of civilians in insurgent areas "in the name of the ummah" (community) is not a new occurrence, as French citizens have already taken part in the conflicts in Bosnia, Afghanistan, Chechnya, and Iraq, similarly in the name of jihad.
As long as European authorities fail to take drastic measures against anti-Israel instigators, murderous attacks on Jews will only increase.
It was only a matter of time. The writing – or, to be more precise, the writings – has been on the wall for years. And not just in Europe. I would even dare say that, surprisingly, there have only been a few murderous attacks against Jews or Jewish institutions.
Nowhere is the crisis of modernity felt more acutely than in France where for a quarter-century now globalization has brought moroseness and mistrust on an epic scale. Uneasy with capitalism, uncomfortable with flexibility, unpersuaded by the so-called Anglo-Saxon model, France has retreated into its rancor. Immigrants and openness have constituted threat more than possibility.
The shared fear of Muslims has not yet led major Jewish organizations to lift their boycotts against dubious politicians in far-right parties.
The investigation of Sunday’s shooting at the Jewish Museum in Brussel is still ongoing, and assessments regarding the motive are varied, but Belgian authorities say the attack, which is being investigated as a terror incident, has anti-Semitic characteristics.
Following the information concerning the antisemitic behavior of a delivery partner Deliveroo, Crif President Francis Kalifat wished to meet with the Managing Director of Deliveroo in France.
This year marks the 15th sad anniversary of the beginning of Ilan Halimi's kidnapping. Every year, the Crif remembers Ilan Halimi, who died because he was a Jew. We should never forget and never surrender to antisemitism.
For a month, UNESCO headquarters in Paris welcomes large-format portraits of hundreds of Holocaust survivors. Among them, Rachel Jedinak, Ginette Kolinka, Yvette Lévy, and Elie Buzyn.
In a letter sent to the Minister, Crif President hopes that the arrival of the vaccine will open a window of hope for families separated since the beginning of the sanitary crisis.
On December 19th, during the annual Miss France election ceremony, April Benayoum was the target of antisemitic comments because of her origins, in particular on the social network Twitter. Crif reacted immediately and strongly condemned these antisemitics messages. The Crif has initiated legal proceedings.
For the fifth year in a row, Crif has joined forces with the World Jewish Congress for the #WeRemember campaign, which aims to commemorate the victims of the Holocaust around the world.