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Last update - 10:51 16/05/2007
Forgive us our racism
By Goel Pinto

The murder of Taysir Karaki of Beit Hanina, 35 and the father of five, was carried out by a single individual, but the soil on which the Jewish-French terrorist Julian Soufir thrived nevertheless bears collective examination.

More than a few French Jews explained during the recent presidential election campaign that they were for Nicolas Sarkozy because of the iron fist he employed against first-generation Muslim immigrants in the Paris suburb riots of 2005. His unequivocal support for the Jewish community after Ilan Halimi's murder in 2006 and the fact he ascribed anti-Semitic motives to it also helped Sarkozy to win over many French Jews. Remarks along the lines of "the Arabs are taking over France" and "we need a real man to put things right here" were voiced by more than a few Jews during the campaign.

There are 600,000 Jews living in France today. Unlike the children of the Muslim immigrants, many French Jews have obtained senior positions and garnered the respect and protection of the government. In a state that champions the obliteration of religious identity in favor of a universal identity as members of the republic, the Jews have played both sides of the field. On the one hand, they integrated into French society, while on the other they continued to demonstrate great loyalty to Israel and in particular to the right-wing governments that have ruled it in recent decades.
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The militancy of many French Jews and the racism that some of them display against Muslims are not new phenomena. I can recall one Shabbat morning in a Paris synagogue. I was 12. It was during the 1982 Lebanon war, and the rabbi recited the prayer for the State of Israel and its soldiers. The congregation responded with interjections such as "Sharon, you show them" and "Kill them." The rabbi made no effort to silence them. Even then it was clear that this community, which for years had donated generously to Israel, was using the state as a tool of revenge.

No French Jew would dare to hurt a Muslim in France. The Jewish murderer Soufir immigrated to Israel before he murdered an Arab - and not because of any shortage of Muslims in France. Rather, it was because in France many Jews prefer to wrap themselves in the tallit of victimhood - and the anti-Jewish incidents there give them sufficient ammunition to do so. The image of the victim causes the government, mainly because of its own feelings of guilt over the Vichy period, to give them broad support.

The time has come for the State of Israel to place a mirror before France's Jews, who are dancing at two weddings at the same time. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Acting President Dalia Itzik should pay a visit to the family of the murder victim and ask for forgiveness in the name of the state and the Jewish people, just as Jordan's King Hussein did after the murder of the seven girls from Beit Shemesh in the Naharayim terror attack in 1997, just as the French president and his wife, Jacques and Bernadette Chirac, and Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin did following Halimi's murder when they attended his memorial service at a Paris synagogue.

This is also the appropriate time for the heads of France's Jewish community, led by Chief Rabbi Yosef Sitruk, to visit the Great Mosque of Paris and to ask for forgiveness. Forgiveness for the murder, but also for the anti-Muslim racism that is rooted in their community, which is one of the main causes for the deterioration in relations between Jews and Muslims in France.
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  1.   Israel and the US started this hate 11:26  |  Marilyn 16/05/07
  2.   a very refreshing article to read... 11:27  |  eric 16/05/07
  3.   in France only? 11:28  |  samos 16/05/07
  4.   Not only in France 11:30  |  Edith 16/05/07
  5.   Who`s more racist? The author or the murderer? 11:40  |  Ernst 16/05/07
  6.   By the way... 11:43  |  Matthias Roth 16/05/07
  7.   Speak for yourself, Mr. Pinto-bean! 11:48  |  whomever 16/05/07
  8.   Idiot! 11:48  |  ariel 16/05/07
  9.   Thoughts And Actions Are Two Different Things 11:56  |  Yosemite 16/05/07
  10.   Shame on you Pinto, shame on Haaretz 11:59  |  sirius 16/05/07
  11.   This is a satire right? 12:12  |  Israel Israeli 16/05/07
  12.   Sheer chutzpah and lies 12:37  |  non-racist 16/05/07
  13.   Inward-looking 12:54  |  Mosche 16/05/07
  14.   our racism as well 12:57  |  Tarum 16/05/07
  15.   To israeli israeli 13:14  |  Anne 16/05/07
  16.   I wonder what racism will bring... 13:31  |  Anne 16/05/07
  17.   Quick to Make An Individual Act A Collective One 13:51  |  Yoram 16/05/07
  18.   A recognition of common humanity 13:56  |  Jerry 16/05/07
  19.   French Jews 14:14  |  Nina 16/05/07
  20.   To anne 14:20  |  Israel Israeli 16/05/07
  21.   There is no Muslim race 14:25  |  Pilly 16/05/07
  22.   FirstHesder Students, Second Religious Zionist,Now French Jews? 14:44  |  Alberto Cohen 16/05/07
  23.   Israel Israeli 14:45  |  Hassan 16/05/07
  24.   An aberration 14:48  |  Yehudit 16/05/07
  25.   An aberration 14:49  |  Yehudit 16/05/07
  26.   Imaginary Lines,The Maginot Line and The Bottom Line 15:08  |  Ronnie Wolman 16/05/07
  27.   Dear French Jews 15:12  |  Danite 16/05/07
  28.   Haaretz - Editor in Chief 15:33  |  Avrum 16/05/07
  29.   To Israel israeli 15:40  |  Anne 16/05/07
  30.   Ask Forgiveness for JEW-HATE Refusing toProtect Jews From TERROR 15:40  |  Linda Rivera 16/05/07
  31.   Self-Hating Arabs 15:42  |  Eyal 16/05/07
  32.   Thank you Goel Pinto ! At last, a sane voice 15:44  |  Yael 16/05/07
  33.   Prozac 15:47  |  Uri 16/05/07
  34.   There is no Jewish race either Pilly 15:48  |  Marilyn 16/05/07
  35.   Goel Pinto you idiot... 15:54  |  bat yam 16/05/07
  36.   Cher Danite 16:15  |  sh 16/05/07
  37.   To Uri/Prozac 16:17  |  Anne 16/05/07
  38.   To bat yam 16:27  |  Anne 16/05/07
  39.   Paris Riots of 2005--misnomer 16:28  |  bob 16/05/07
  40.   38 Anne. Yes, the Koreans did ask forgiveness but... 16:42  |  bat yam 16/05/07
  41.   Muslim Racism 16:43  |  Jo Jo 16/05/07
  42.   Ths "Bleeding heart" MORON FORGETS 16:45  |  Me 16/05/07
  43.   # 34 Marilyn. PERHAPS YOU HAVE SOMETHING THERE. 16:54  |  Kath` 16/05/07
  44.   Present at the psychiatric evaluation? 16:59  |  Ilan 16/05/07
  45.   To Anne 17:04  |  Uri 16/05/07
  46.   stupid article about a psychotic guy 17:14  |  michel 16/05/07
  47.   Bradley Burston Isn`t Alone - Another Self-Hating Jew 17:16  |  massaraksh 16/05/07
  48.   @ 30 Linda, I may tell you that the peace, love,... 17:18  |  Karl 16/05/07
  49.   racism 17:21  |  NDM 16/05/07
  50.   to Danite 17:32  |  Goldenberg 16/05/07
  51.   Sh and his limitations 17:32  |  Danite 16/05/07
  52.   This so called writer is a typical case of 17:36  |  TOMY 16/05/07
  53.   Sh#2 17:37  |  Danite 16/05/07
  54.   Pinto the Freak Jew 17:38  |  Danite 16/05/07
  55.   Mr.Goel Pinto.HAVE THE WHEELS GROUND TO A HALT? MY POST TO ANNE?? 17:40  |  Kath` 16/05/07
  56.   No Response To The Substance - Instead Attack The Writer 18:13  |  chet 16/05/07
  57.   Speak for yourself, Mr. Pinto 18:19  |  Moises 16/05/07
  58.   President of France apologized not the Muslims 18:25  |  Burned Liberal 16/05/07
  59.   "Israel and the US started this hate" 18:25  |  Gene 16/05/07
  60.   what race is Islam? 18:31  |  Seth J. Frantzman 16/05/07
  61.   Sheer Chutzpah 18:36  |  Mayer Abraham 16/05/07
  62.   Collective Punishment 18:38  |  Larry 16/05/07
  63.   You Mr.Pinto have the whole article Backwards... 18:46  |  Kath` 16/05/07
  64.   Another Failed Zionist Dream 18:47  |  massaraksh 16/05/07
  65.   Larry: You`re Right, the Irony Is So Thick, You Can Cut It 18:53  |  massaraksh 16/05/07
  66.   haaretz is a plane with only a left wing 19:03  |  izzy d 16/05/07
  67.   slander against French jews 19:10  |  Ben 16/05/07
  68.   Ilan Halimi 19:32  |  Curious Moroccan 16/05/07
  69.   Blame the whole Community? 19:33  |  Semsem 16/05/07
  70.   Would Haaretz say this about Muslims? 20:04  |  Bill 16/05/07
  71.   #66 Izzy 20:06  |  Bill 16/05/07
  72.   Forgive Haaretz its perfidy and lies 20:12  |  Jake 16/05/07
  73.   Learn the Golden Rule Pinto 20:17  |  Bill 16/05/07
  74.   TO Matthias Roth 20:31  |  Steve Beikirch 16/05/07
  75.   Marilyn, but there is a Jewish people/nation 20:37  |  Jake 16/05/07
  76.   THIS IS A STUPID ARTICLE 20:39  |  Baruch 16/05/07
  77.   Re: Blame the whole Community? 20:41  |  same Curious Morocca 16/05/07
  78.   racism 20:43  |  utagawa 16/05/07
  79.   76 - Agreed, This is a stupid article 20:50  |  Bruriah Sarah 16/05/07
  80.   64Massaraksh,the early Zionist dream was not to create a new Jew 20:56  |  laskhmi 16/05/07
  81.   Answer to # 79 20:59  |  Curious Moroccan 16/05/07
  82.   Lakshmi`s lies 21:10  |  Jake 16/05/07
  83.