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.
On the occasion of the European elections, the President of Crif, Francis Kalifat calls for citizen mobilization. "On May 26th, vote for lists that defend democratic values and fundamental rights".
On May 25th, Felix Klein, the German Government Commissioner for Anti-Semitism, said that he did not recommend the wearing of kippas in some parts of Germany. A statement showing the important anti-Semitic climate that weighs on Germany. We asked Aras-Nathan Keul, a member of the German Federal Youth Organization of the Friendship Society with Israel, and adviser to the German-Jewish NGO "WerteInitiative" what was his view about the current situation.
#EnoughIsEnough. This was the motto of the gathering that was organized today by UN Watch in Geneva, in front of the headquarters of the UN Human Rights Council. The purpose of this event? Denouncing the systematic condemnations of the United Nations against Israel.
President Francis Kalifat calls for a "national bounce against anti-Semitism." He stresses that "beyond being a threat to Jews, anti-Semitism is a signal of the democratic weakening of our country.
The European Jewish Congress (EJC) expresses deep concern over the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) report ‘Experiences and Perceptions of Antisemitism – Second survey on discrimination and hate crime against Jews in the EU’
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