by Mati Tuchfeld
What is happening is nothing more than a continuation of Europe's traditional policy of burying its head in the sand. So it is no wonder that Netanyahu's visit did not sit easy with the French government. They did not want the headache caused by someone coming to mess with their truth.
Sometimes things take
place before your eyes that are difficult to describe by means of a pen
or a keyboard. These are rare sublime moments, full of sensitivity, in
which one is moved to tears. Such a moment happened on Sunday evening in
Paris, when a boy, perhaps 14 or 15 years old, approached Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu immediately after his speech at the Grand
Synagogue and sobbed against his chest.
The boy, whose family
requested that he remain unnamed, lost a brother in the attack at the
kosher supermarket on Friday. Netanyahu gave him a warm paternal embrace
and patted his head for several long minutes. The boy, whose father was
standing next to him, could not find the words to thank Netanyahu for
his decision to visit Paris during the toughest time the French Jewish
community has experienced in the past generation.
Those who do not
understand why Netanyahu had to make the quick trip to Paris, those who
wonder if he was "forced" to go there after two ministers in his
government announced they were going, and those who question the "waste"
of money on the trip -- it would have been enough for them to take one
fleeting glance at the eyes of the French Jews in attendance at the
Grand Synagogue during Netanyahu's speech to realize instantly why he
was there.
The bitter truth is
that French Jews have been abandoned. Despite the nice and flowery words
of French President Francois Hollande and other government ministers,
French Jews feel that their government has left them on their own. Even
the French people are not eager to identify with them. At the mass rally
in Paris on Sunday, the Jewish issue was on the farthest margins. All
the signs and shirts said, "We are Charlie." None said, "We are Hyper
Cacher" [the name of the kosher supermarket that was attacked].
This was no
coincidence. For the French people and their leaders, it is comfortable
to talk about what happened last week as an attack against freedom of
expression and democracy and portray the struggle taking place as one
between "radicalism" and "liberty."
But this is not the
truth. What is happening is nothing more than a continuation of Europe's
traditional policy of burying its head in the sand. So it is no wonder
that Netanyahu's visit did not sit easy with the French government. They
did not want the headache caused by someone coming to mess with their
truth.
European Jews were the
first to understand the situation. For years, they have suffered from
the Islamic terrorism that has run rampant in their cities, particularly
in Paris. They have already become used to hiding their identities,
going out without their kippot and fortifying their children's
educational institutions as if they are military installations.
It appears that the feeling of
abandonment by the French government after the kosher supermarket attack
is the straw that has broken the camel's back for French Jews. While
Netanyahu was only able to bring small consolation to French Jews, he
delivered a strong message that there is a country that has not
abandoned them. The French may have disappointed us, but the Jews will
always remain united.
Mati Tuchfeld
Source: http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_opinion.php?id=11209
Copyright - Original materials copyright (c) by the authors.
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