Subscribe to Print Edition | Fri., March 07, 2008 Adar2 1, 5768 | | Israel Time: 14:18 (EST+7) web haaretz.com   Back to Homepage Rosner's Domain Diplomacy Defense Jewish World Opinion National Print Edition Advertising Books Arts & Leisure Business Real Estate Easy Start Travel Week's End Anglo File

Last update - 11:58 06/03/2008 Anti-Semitism in France / Calm interrupted By Daniel Ben Simon Tags: France, anti-Semitism The year 2007 was the quietest year the French Jewish community has known since 2000. In October 2000, after the second intifada broke out, French Jews were hit by a wave of anti-Semitic attacks the likes of which had not been seen since World War II. In 2007, fewer than 200 anti-Jewish incidents were recorded, a scale akin to the number of attacks recorded in just one month in 2001. There was a drop across the board in attacks, curses, threats, bullying and harassment. At the annual conference of Jewish organizations last month in Paris, attended by President Nicolas Sarkozy, the latter exulted that he could not remember a similarly calm time in the Jewish community's life. Advertisement It is doubtful the latest incident will spoil the picture and overshadow Sarkozy's honeymoon with the Jewish community. Had it ended differently, there would be no doubt that the president himself would have been the first to condemn it and lead a mass protest march. The affair began in a manner almost exactly reminiscent of the Ilan Halimi case. Like Halimi, Mathieu Roumi was abducted in his own neighborhood in the same quarter. Like Halimi, Roumi was held in a dark cellar. Like Halimi, Roumi was subjected to physical and emotional abuse. Like Halimi, Roumi was blamed for being a Jew. Like Halimi, Roumi's kidnappers intended to demand ransom for his release. Here ends the similarity between the cases. Halimi was brutally murdered; Roumi went home. A Jewish community leader told Haaretz yesterday that even though this is an anti-Semitic incident par excellence, the way it ended brought a general sigh of relief. Bookmark to del.icio.us   Hunting journalists Who leaked the details of a CIA-Mossad plot against Iran? Farming organic At Or-Gani, Israel's organic revolution is taking on new forms.   1.   Nothing Changed, they were Just Distracted 00:39  |  Efox 07/03/08

Today Online A. Issacharoff: Gazans see yeshiva attack as unusual achievement Responses: 52 British PM: Violent bids to halt peace process must be stopped Responses: 70 Bradley Burston: To the Westerner who 'understands' terrorist Responses: 66 Yossi Sarid: Yasser Arafat is dead, but his curse lives on Responses: 8 More Headlines 13:43 Yeshiva head: Murderers targeted all of Jerusalem 12:28 Israel on high security alert in wake of Jerusalem shooting 12:23 Terror in Jerusalem / No intelligence ahead of attack 12:17 To the Westerner who 'understands' the terrorist 13:41 British PM: Violent bids to halt peace process must be stopped 09:03 Palestinian medics: IDF troops kill farmer in northern Gaza 13:43 American conductor revives lost opera music of Holocaust 04:36 Defense chiefs warm to idea of multinational force in Gaza 04:40 Study: Israelis think philanthropists give to further personal interests 11:10 Jewish leader fails to prevent New Zealand auction of Hitler photo 11:18 Violinist Itzhak Perlman cancels U.S. concert over shoulder injury Previous Editions Select Day 06 mar 05 mar 04 mar 03 mar 02 mar 29 feb 28 feb 27 feb 26 feb 25 feb 24 feb 22 feb

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