France is still reeling from a week of violence that began in Paris with the brutal massacre of 12 people on Jan. 7 at offices of the “Charlie Hebdo” publication. It was followed by the murder of a female police officer and culminating in a terrorist attack on a kosher grocery on Jan. 9—as shoppers were buying items for Shabbat—that left four Jewish men dead and held 21 others hostage for hours. An enormous rally in the Parisian streets that included heads of state from around the world took place the Sunday afterwards, and a show of support against terror and anti-Semitism rippled throughout the country. Chabad rabbis, students and volunteers weaved through a crowd of more than 1.5 million people at the rally, wrapping tefillin and bolstering Jews who were there.
Three weeks later, the headlines have moved on the rest of the world—to recent violence in Ukraine and in Israel, for example. Chabad in France, however, is grappling with significant issues regarding French Jewry and public security. Rabbi Chaim Shneur Nisenbaum of the Complexe Scolaire Beth Haya Moushka school in Paris and spokesperson for Beth Lubavitch in Paris, responds to some of the most pressing concerns.
Q: Did the attack on the Hyper Cacher kosher supermarket in Paris come as a huge surprise? What was the situation regarding Jews in Paris for the past six months to a year? How high was the level of concern?
A: It really was a huge surprise. True, anti-Semitism has been growing steadily. There were a number of significant indicators that things were getting worse (riots in the Barbes district of Paris during Israel’s summer war with Hamas in Gaza, some light attacks against Jews, etc.), so that many more Jews were consideringaliyah [moving to Israel] than in the previous years. But in general, the situation was quiet. A Jew was not afraid in his day-to-day life in Paris, and nobody thought such a possibility could arrive.
Q: What was your reaction to the enormous turnout at the Paris rally, including signage that read: “Je Suis Juif” and “Je Suis Cacher”? Is there active follow-up to this show of support through the media, through grassroots efforts or organizations, or with other clergy?
A: The tumult was obviously very positive, but we must concede that it was mainly caused by the attack againstCharlie Hebdo, much more than the one against Hyper Cacher. The signs “Je Suis Juif” and “Je Suis Cacher” were mainly the initiative of members of organizations from the Jewish community.
Nevertheless, all this emotion moved everybody to consciousness of an existing anti-Semitism among the second and third generations of immigrants from Islamic countries (African Islam or Maghreb Islam). This consciousness is new because the immigrants were always considered victims of the global society, and as such, weren’t expected to harm other communities. Right now, leaders of Islam in France are condemning those acts, which is really important as their voice was not so loud in the past.
Q: How can French leadership ameliorate the situation? Is it a matter of law and order, protection and security, education and communication? Why is anti-Semitism seemingly so strong in France right now, stronger even than in other European nations?
A: There is a strong will of the French government to fight this new anti-Semitism. They made very clear statements and adopted strong measures besides the efforts in security matters. The action has to be in several fields at the same time. Of course, police and justice officials have to be very active, but in the long term, only education can effect change. Schools have to teach that we are all members of the same French nation, and that nothing can divide us, even if we don’t think or live the same way. That’s the position of the French government.
Anti-Semitism is unfortunately not stronger in France than, for instance, in Belgium or England. There were a number of surveys about this issue. The European security departments know that the risk of an attack is very high everywhere, and that England could be next. Remember that the last case was in Belgium [four people, including an Israeli couple, were killed in a May 2014 attack inside the Jewish Museum of Belgium in Brussels]. This is connected with the presence of large Islamic communities in those places, as in France.
Q: How do you reassure Jewish families in France, particularly children, over the long term? What words of comfort do you offer, what prayers, what advice?
A: We quote the words of the Rebbe [Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory] in similar situations—that with Torah, prayer and charity, we can overcome all of these negative events, and that we must be confident in G‑d and be proud of our Judaism.
Q: What can others, especially world Jewry, do in response to the current tense situation? How can those outside the country support French Jewry and/or help?
A: When we see the concern of other Jews around the word, this strengthens our unity, and is important in and of itself. If everybody adds in good deeds—wherever he or she is—that will be of a great general help.
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