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 Friday 26 of January, Polish lawmakers passed a law sanctioning the use of the term "Polish death camps". Prosecutions may also be brought against anyone who "attributes to the Polish nation or state the responsibility or co-responsibility for the crimes committed by the German Third Reich [...]". Crif wants to express his indignation at such a law.
For the second year in a row, Crif associates with the World Jewish Congress for the #WeRemember campaign, which aims to raise awareness of the Holocaust and commemorate Holocaust victims around the world.
Since Donald Trump's announcement on the status of Jerusalem, Germany is facing a new wave of anti-Semitism. Crif has been pleased to speak with Josef Schuster, the President of the Central Council of Jews in Germany (Zentralrat der Juden in Deutschland), to discuss on the situation of the German Jewish community.
The Crif is worried to see the far-right parties on our doorstep. How to imagine the harmonious development of Europe with populist parties that want to destroy it?