For once, I'd like to do them one better. In addition to boycotting France, et al, can we find some countries, (other than Israel of course), whose products we should buy in support of their decency. Denmark I suppose. Any others?

Oh wait, I thought of a domestic possibility... Berkshire Hatahaway. Berkshire's big man, Warren Buffett has recently invested big in Israel, and let's face it, Warren Buffett should be President of the United States. I mean it, he's a common sense guy who always knows what he's talking about, or he shuts up. He's backing Israel because he knows it makes sense financially and politically.

The problem is one share of Berkshire Hathaway will set you back about $100,000... but you can all pool your efforts with your friends or the Synagogue Men's Club.

Jake:

Great idea.

BUY! BUY! BUY!

Okay, I can afford $5.53 right now. Are you good for the other $999,994.47?

Is anybody out there good for it?

If not, let's just start the Seraphic "DRAFT BUFFETT FOR PRESIDENT" movement right here. Don't worry Robert, he's basically a Republican. And what other Republican or Democrat has ever put a $1 billion into Israel?

Jake....I'm good for the rest :)

Lance! I knew you'd come through. Hey, maybe you can get in on the Buffett deal in No. Israel when you're fully a citizen. Man, how great would it be if someone like him were president?

Dear Robert and Karen ...

What a remarkable, pitifully stupid irony that France should be so consumed by the very same Nazi ideology of hatred that marched in with the murderers as they strode along the boulevards of Paris under the Arch de Triumph in 1940! Or is it such an irony? There was Vichy France, wasn't there? Doesn't anyone watch "Casablanca" anymore? That was not a Boy Scout leader Bogey shot at the end of the film!

And haven't I read that so many Frenchmen shed so few tears as their "fellow" (Jewish) countrymen were being hauled off to Auschwitz!?

Ahhhhh, gay Parie and the french countryside! (sic!) home of the Dreyfus Affair, Talmud burnings and the slaughter of the Huengenots ... ad nauseum!

As a consequence, I can only respond to the declaration ...

"Vive Le France" with a nasally resounding ...

Nah!

I am ...

Very Sincerely yours,

Alan D. Busch

Only the representatives of a dead nation could take heart at the demise of another nation, one with which it has much more in common than with their common enemy: Islam.

(My reflection on "the French question.")

Alan:

I'm going to answer you by posting a blog in the next few minutes titled: The End of France.

The Jews need to get out of there.

Toddler:

The realistic Jews of France are leaving France in record numbers, and are in fact the largest group making aliyah to Israel right now. Of course there are those French Jews who are in total denial. Secular Jews who are much like the German Jews prior to WWII. These Hellenized Jews are always the last to see what's really going on right under their noses and nothing can be done except mourn for them when they are but dust and ashes--even as they scorn us and treat us with contempt.

I am a French Jew living permanently overseas for professional reasons. Most of my relatives live in France, so I am in touch with both the French news and the mood of the nation. I am concerned about your 'boycott France' proposal. I don't think it is well thought-out.

Please accept as fact that there is a huge and rapidly-breeding Muslim population in France whose votes the French politicians must court and who frequently try to hold the French nation to ransom. Despite this, the French government has had the resolve to take on some the Muslim population and preserve their secular state. The laws about wearing the veil in French schools are one example. Certainly, the French Jewish population is somewhat intimidated by the sheer numbers of antagonistic Muslims but there is a lot of intra-Muslim violence in France, as well. If you reported that along with the anti-Semitic incidents which you correctly enumerate, you would be presenting a much more accurate picture of life in France. There is a lot of civil unrest in general. The population at large blames the Muslims - NOT the Jews. One should consider a form of dialogue with the French nation which addresses the issues - not a simplistic boycott.

Anti-Semitism is ubiquitous and iniquitous; it seems to me that to boycott French products would not communicate anything to anyone. Some innocent French business people would be hurt but no-one would know what was happening and anti-Semitism would remain unaddressed.

France bashing is very common in Anglo-Saxon countries. Having been educated in France, Canada and Australia (I got around as a kid!), I can assure you that there are two sides to the Anglo-French animosity. For example, if you learned about what the English did to 'contain' the French in Canada, it would make your hair stand on end! This history (documented) is taught to French and French Canadian school students but try as I might, I can't find the same historical angle written in English. Napoleon Bonaparte actually did some very good things before his lust for power turned him into just another despot.
Without dwelling too long on this point, please resist generic France bashing when addressing a topic as serious as anti-Semitic attacks in France.

We would be better to devote our energies to political lobbying and consciousness-raising in France and elsewhere. Insulting secular Jews who choose to live in a country other than Israel is demeaning and does not respect the healthy diversity in the world's Jewish population.

Thank-you for your website.

David:

For the record, I do not believe that a boycott of France is realistic nor desirable.

That aside, French bashing in America is neither worse nor different than America bashing in all of Europe. The only difference is this: America spilled blood and treasury to save Europe from Fascism and Communism, and Europe shows no gratitude whatsoever. Now we're trying to save Europe and the world from Muslim jihad and Europe--especially France--is fighting us every step of the way. In fact, France allied herself with Saddam Hussein. And France is absolutely an enemy of Israel.

As for secular Jews in France. We do not mean to insult these people. We are concerned with all Jews, religious and secular. We only mean to point out a simple historical fact: secular Jews often feel that they are insulated from anti-Jewish hatred. That somehow they will be spared pogroms, whereas the "real Jews" the Hasidim and the black hat Jews will bear the brunt of the violence. This is delusional. Remember that after the Alegerian revolution the Muslims expelled all the Jews from Algeria--even those Jews who supported the revolution, religious and secular Jews. In Germany, the most assimilated Jews marched to the gas chambers with their Hasidic brothers--who they previously despised as medieval and backward.

We believe that France will be judenrein in 25 years or less. No amount of "dialogue" or "consciousness raising" will change the demographics nor the appeasement policies of the French government. You cannot raise the consciousness of people who torture to death young Jews. You fight them and hopefully kill them. That is why most of the apartments being sold in Israel now are to French buyers. That is why the highest percentage of olim chadashim to Israel are from France. They see the writing on the wall.

Thanks so much for writing. We hope to hear from you again. Have a lovely and meaningful Shabbos.

Pardon my complete ignorance but may I ask who Hillel is? Perhaps I am simply looking wrong (entirely possible) but I cant seem to verify any of the incidents mentioned. And the book mentioned was put on in 2002.

Me again *grin* I think I may have found the source of the article here:

http://www.jewishtoronto.net/content_display.html?ArticleID=70479

If you'll look at the 8th paragraph down it seems to be a word for word quote until you get to the part about the butcher. For that you have to skip down a bit and ignore the items with dates.

The problem is that this was written in February of 2003. Perhaps I'm being naive but isnt the world a rather different place today then it was 3 years ago?

Lana:

Thanks so much:

This came to us via Naomi Ragen. The world is indeed a different place from 2003 -- it is far more dangerous.