Abstract: The Jews of France have been liberated for over two centuries; they have been considered free citizens and equal to their compatriots. What purpose, then, does it serve to study their citizenship today? Until World War II, French Jews called themselves "Israelites;" they were deeply patriotic and had found a place for themselves in France’s "community of citizens." However outbursts of anti-Semitism during that period reminded them that their new status prevented neither hate nor rejection; they had to persevere in the struggle for citizenship equity.
France has not been spared from recent movements demanding recognition of particular identities in the public space. Ethnicity in French political life has become increasingly obvious, in spite of the constant assertion of "republican values." Questions about immigration, nationality, and integration are constantly in the forefront of public life. Though, in France, the existence of ethnic and religious communities is not legally recognized, certain groups are designated as separate, often creating conflicts among them
Abstract: Les juifs furent longtemps des patriotes ardents. Ceux qui, dans le passé, se désignaient eux-mêmes comme des « israélites » s’étaient toujours comportés comme des citoyens modèles, affirmant haut et fort leur patriotisme et réinterprétant le judaïsme sur un mode essentiellement spirituel. Aujourd’hui, la République s’affaiblit, l’antisémitisme de l’extrême-gauche rejoint l’antisémitisme traditionnel de l’extrême-droite, l’insécurité grandit. Comment les juifs réagissent-ils ? Assiste-t-on à l’émergence d’une nouvelle condition juive en France ? C’est à ces questions qu’une enquête par questionnaires réalisée auprès d’un échantillon de la population juive à Strasbourg, Toulouse et dans la région parisienne, apporte des réponses objectives. Mais l’analyse de la situation actuelle ne peut négliger la réflexion plus large, à la fois historique et sociologique, sur les transformations actuelles des rapports entre les identités ethnico-religieuses et la citoyenneté. L’exemple des juifs peut aussi être un révélateur. Doit-on voir dans les inquiétudes de tous et dans la tentation du repli sur soi d’une partie des juifs le signe d’une « ethnicisation » ou d’une « communautarisation » croissante de la société démocratique ? Cette enquête montre pourtant qu’entre la tentation de vivre entre soi et celle d’intervenir en tant que juifs dans l’espace public, la majorité des juifs français tente d’élaborer ce qu’on peut appeler un « nouvel israélitisme ».
Author(s): Beloff (Lord); Benz, Wolfgang; Billig, Michael; Cesarani, David; Cohn-Sherbok, Dan; Cruise O'Brien, Conor; Elazar, Daniel J.; Dinerstein, Leonard; Fein, Helen; Gebert, Konstanty; Glazer, Nathan; Gould, Julius; Jakobovitz, Immanuel (Lord); Kushner, Tony; Leibler, Isi; Lerman, Antony; Marrus, Michael R.; Mitten, Richard; Pelinka, Anton; Pouakov, Leon; Raab, Earl; Rotensreich, Nathan; Roth, Stephen J.; Schnapper, Dominique; Strauss, Herbert A.; Wisse, Ruth R.; Wistrich, Robert; Wodak, Ruth
Abstract: We recently addressed the following statement and questions on the strength and nature of anti-Semitism in the 1990s to a number of Jews and non-Jews throughout the world:
Talk of a ‘revival’ or ‘resurgence’ of anti-Semitism is now commonplace. This seems to be the result of developments in the former USSR and in Eastern and Central Europe since 1989, but also of increasing reports of anti-Semitic incidents taking place throughout Western Europe and similar problems emerging in North America, South America, Australia and South Africa.
1) How serious is the recent ‘resurgence’ of anti-Semitism? Is this in any sense a global phenomenon? Is talk of a ‘revival of antisemitism’ justified?
2) What are in your view the most important contemporary manifestations of anti-Semitism? Should anti-Semitism still mainly be seen as a phenomenon of extreme right- and left-wing politics and ideology, or is contemporary anti-Semitism more seriously present in popular culture, within political and social élites, in the school playground?
3) What role, if any, do you think the conflict between Israel and the Arab world is playing in fostering anti-Jewish sentiment? How important is the emergence of Islamic fundamentalism in this context? To what extent is anti-Semitism today taking the guise of anti-Zionism?
4) Finally, if there is indeed an upsurge in antiswemitism, what do you think are its major causes? What part is nationalism, particularly in the Commonwealth of Independent States and in Eastern and Central Europe, playing in causing or exacerbating contemporary anti-Semitism? Do you agree that there was until recently a post-Holocaust taboo on anti-Semitism that has now been lifted?
