By Rabbi Chalom Boudjnah
SAN DIEGO — I am shocked. I am horrified.
This last week has been a tough week for France. First the killing of 11 people at Charlie Hebdo and then the killing of four hostages at a kosher supermarket (Hyper-Cachere) in Paris. There ass also the killing of a courageous policewoman and a jogger Thursday in Monrouge.
It doesn’t seem real. When we think of Paris we think of the Eiffel Tower, we think of the French Riviera, we think of the “Louvre,” not of a city where terrorists are yielding kalashnikovs and shooting civilians while chanting “Allah U Akbar”.
The truth is that French Jews have become accustomed to such violence. No, you won’t read it in the paper but attacks against French Jews have been rampant for the last 14 years. In 2013 alone 40% of all violent racist attacks in France were committed against Jews, even though French Jews make up less than 1% of the total population in France. (http://antisemitisme.org/)
Just three weeks ago, on December 22nd, 201,4 at 9:30pm at the synagogue of “Rue Danjon,” while the Rabbi and his assistant were gathered in their office, bullet were fired at their window. The Rabbi and his assistant were not hurt.
December 25th, 2014: shots fired at a kosher restaurant. No one as hurt.
December 26th, 2014: shots fired at a printing shop that had a Mezuzah displayed on the front door.
In the night of January 1st/2nd, 2015, an arson fire burns the synagogue of “Rue Corot”. Inside, the inscription “AntiJuif” (anti Jews) and a swastika were spray painted onto the walls.
Finally we arrive at the attacks we have witnessed this last week, in which four Jews were murdered. Without the heroic acts of a Muslim worker at the store this past Friday, there likely would have been more victims.
We have to face these attacks for what they are. They are certainly an attacks on the freedom of expression and free press, but they are also an attack targeting French Jews.
Did you know that Ahmedi Coulibaly, the terrorist who killed a policewoman on Thursday before committing the attacks on Hyper-Cachere, carried out his attack only 100 meters away from the Jewish school Yagel Yaakov in Montrouge? The policewoman was a hero and her death probably saved many Jewish lives. Inside his car detectives found a map of all the Jewish school of Paris. The fact that he chose to attack a kosher supermarket before Shabbat was not something done at random.
We could go on and on. We remember Ilan Halimi, a French Jew who was tortured for three weeks before being killed. We remember the attacks of Mohamed Merah in Toulouse against Otzar Hatorah, a Jewish school. The attacker shot and killed a teacher and three children. As Americans, if this were to happen here what would we do? What are French Jews to do? The situation is catastrophic.
French Jews are voting with their feet.
A few days ago French prime minister Manuel Vals was quoted saying, “The choice was made by the French Revolution in 1789 to recognize Jews as full citizens… if 100,000 Jews leave, France will no longer be France. The French Republic will be judged a failure.”
But maybe France has already failed.
Natan Sharansky, Chairman of the Executive of the Jewish Agency said, “Of some 600,000 French Jews, ‘hundreds of thousands’ of them are now contemplating leaving the country”.
From 2000 to 2009, more than 13,000 French Jews made aliyah. In 2014, alone 7000 ended up making aliya. In 2015, Israel is expecting 14,000 Jews to make aliyah from France alone.
Jews in France don’t feel safe. They feel that France has betrayed them. Can we blame them?
We saw all the signs for #jesuischarlie, but where were all the signs #jesuisjuif or #jesuisotzarhatorah, #jesuisIlan?
I grew up in Paris and was personally the target of numerous anti-Semitic attacks. I remember in 2003 when then French head Rabbi Joseph Sitruk said, “La Casquette a la place de la Kippah”. He advised French Jews to not wear a kippah in public but rather a casquette, because wearing a kippah in public had become too dangerous.
A home is a place where you can always feel safe and secure. I know that a lot of French citizens are good people and are sad to see Jews leave France, but unfortunately not much is done to protect the Jews of France and I made the choice to leave. France doesn’t feel like home to me.
#JesuisJuif #IamJewish
Whether we are American, French, Israeli, Russian or any other nationality, a Jew is a Jew and our mission is to spread light.
We Jews all over the world have to show solidarity with the Jews of France. We have to stay strong and wear our Judaism on our shoulders. We need to embrace who we are as Jews and be proud of it.
As Jews we must do what Jews do! To increase in act of goodness and kindness around us. This battle is fought both spiritually and physically.
We need to show the Jews of France that we are one and the same. #jesuisjuif is not just about the Jews of France but about Jews all over the world — #IamJewish.
What if we all decided to light Shabbat candles this week? Why don’t you call your rabbi and ask him to put on tefillin with you? Why not attend a Torah class this week? Why not do a little more charity this week or volunteer at your shul?
When it’s cold and dark we must light a fire. Stand proud and reach deep inside yourself for the light waiting to spread outward. We might not be many but with just a little light we can push away a lot of darkness. And lighting up the world is our mission, our purpose.
We need to say it loud and we need to say it proud. #JeSuisJuif #IamJewish
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Rabbi Boudjnah is spiritual leader of the Chabad House at San Diego State University. Your comment may be posted in the box provided below.