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20 Tammuz 5761 - July 11, 2001 | Mordecai Plaut, director Published Weekly
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NEWS
Arabs Try to Attack a Shul in Carteille, France -- Renewed Antisemitism in France
by Arnon Yaffe, Paris

Arab youngsters tried to attack a shul in Carteille, on the outskirts of Paris on Shabbos parshas Nosso. Dozens of them cordoned off the shul in the port district, beat Jewish children, shouted antisemitic comments at the people in the shul, and threatened to burn it down. The police was alerted, but did not turn up. Jewish youngsters organized self-defense groups and expelled the Arabs.

A lot of tension could be felt later in this small town, with a Jewish population of over 20,000 and a large religious community.

The Jewish newspaper Actuelle Juive reports that local Communist mayors are inciting Arab residents by organizing pro-Palestinian and anti- Israeli events. At these meetings left-wing Jews are recruited to denounce Israel and make antisemitic remarks. Correspondents from newspapers such as Le Monde take part in these meetings as "experts" on the situation in the Middle East.

Eli Brenebi, the Israeli ambassador in France, accused Le Monde and other organizations which influence public opinion, of fanning hatred against Israel and of irresponsibility towards the Jewish population of France. He writes that "the picture on the front page of the newspaper, which seeks to make a comparison between a chareidi Jew, who is meant to symbolize a settler, and a Muslim terrorist surrounded with bombs after the Tel-Aviv atrocity, is shocking. The comparison is immoral, and Le Monde is misusing its prestige and, by means of this illustration, which appears as part of an article by the editor, is increasing the public's confusion."

Brenebi writes further that the suicide bombers, so far from being an expression of desperation, are actually weapons to drive Israelis into the sea. At the same time that this article appeared in Le Monde, the Communist party and Palestinian groups organized a demonstration against Sharon's cancelled visit to Paris. Hundreds of French and Arab demonstrators carried antisemitic placards, swastikas and mogen dovids.

There are about 300,000 Jews living in the outskirts of Paris side-by-side with Arabs. In all these areas the Arabs continue to harass Jews, cursing them and throwing stones. In Paris itself verbal abuse against Jews on the Metro (subway) and from cars is on the increase. In the Communist-dominated town of Jeantaille, the PLO representative Lila Shahid, and the Communist mayor, opened a photo exhibition, which glorifies the heroism of young Palestinians in their struggle against Israel. "The exhibition expresses the humanity of the Palestinians," Shahid explained at the opening. At her side was an Israeli anti-Zionist, Michel Warshavsky, who described the Israelis' war crimes to his young Arab audience. However, the latter shouted antisemitic insults at him, which have become a standard part of their vocabulary.

According to Jewish activists, the exhibition displays gruesome pictures and aims to incite unemployed Arabs with a violent tendency. In the Communist towns anti-Israeli and antisemitic propaganda in the old Soviet style, is rampant. Its purpose is to win the sympathy of young local Arabs. Their organizations initiate so-called pro-Intifada tours financed by the municipalities. The mayor of Montreux, also a Communist, came under fire, when he cancelled a pro- Palestinian festival, stating that in a town with both a Jewish and an Arab population there was no reason for holding an event which incites to violence and was likely to harm the Jewish population.

French Jews have noted an upsurge in threats by Arab youngsters after a period of calm. The Chief Rabbi of France, Rabbi Joseph Sitruk, called last week on French Islamic leaders to meet with the French rabbinate in order to discuss ways of lessening the tension and preventing the further increase of violence. He has not received any responses so far.

The official heads of Islam in France, if any such exist, have no influence over young Arabs, who are goaded on by local imams, French Communist representatives, and propaganda from the Arab and French media.

 

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