Don’t believe a word about the rising tide of anti-Semitism in Europe, the hordes of Jews bursting to escape to safety in Israel, etc. It’s all hasbara. This is what you should believe:
Three victims died at the scene of the museum shooting in Brussels. A fourth, Alexandre Strens age 25, was gravely injured and eventually placed on life support. He died last Friday.
This young man’s history (French) is astonishing. He was born in Morocco to a Jewish mother and an Algerian Berber father. His mother raised seven children alone. He emigrated to Belgium from Morocco and came to work in the museum’s communications department. He’d been working that day because he supervised a reception held in the building.
The victim’s family will bring his body back to Morocco where it will be buried today, in a Muslim cemetery, in his hometown, Taza. He will lie there with his paternal grandparents. This announcement was made by the president of the Belgian Jewish community, Phillipe Blondin. He also added:
“Alexandre’s family is wonderful, integrated and of exceptional quality. The mother raised her seven children alone,”said Mr. Blondin.
This is the ultimate vanquishing of hate, represented by Mehdi Nemmouche and those who dispatched him. It also nullifies the Islamophobia spewed by Bibi Netanyahu on the killings.
This is all ye need to know: that a boy who was both Jewish and Muslim emigrated to Europe to make his way in life. He turned to the museum for work as an expression of one-half of his identity. Ultimately, he could not escape the decades long enmity between Arabs and Israelis and fell victim to it. But in the end, he will return to the other half of his identity to be buried with his Muslim brethren. Presumably, none of the Muslim inhabitants of the graveyard will object to sharing eternity with him.
So forget the violence, forget the hatred, forget it all. Jews can live in Europe. Muslims can live in Europe. Jews can even live in Morocco. Some day they may even live in peace in Israel.
H/t to Rashid al-Zingi.
“Ultimately, he could not escape the decades long enmity between Arabs and Israelis and fell victim to it”
Funny, I thought he fell victim to a bullet, fired at him by a terrorist.
Very sad.
I thought Arab and Berbers were different ethnic groups, although in Morocco and in many places of the Maghreb, you have Arabized Berbers… Well, most of them are Muslims.
They are indeed different groups. According to Shlomo Sands, a great many Berbers were “Judaized” long ago.
The last sentence says it all: ” Some
day they may even live in peace in Israel.” Thanks Richard…
This one takes the cake, Silverstein.
So forget the Jews leaving Malmo in droves. Forget the killings in Toulouse. Forget the assaults of Jews in France by Muslim immigrants. Forget the young Jewish boy tortured for days and killed in Paris a few years back. Forget what happened in Brussels. It’s all fiction according to the arrogant Silverstein sitting in Seattle.
@ gary fouse: Swedish Jews leaving in “droves?” Which means what in cold hard authenticated numbers? 12? 112? You’ve mentioned three terror attacks on European Jews spanning nearly 10 years. In that period, can we talk about the number of terror attacks in Europe against non-Jews? And the number of terror attacks by official & non-official forces against Palestinian civilians?
Talk about arrogant, that title belongs to you who only care when a Jew is harmed, but doesn’t give a crap when non-Jews are harmed. We’ve got your number.
Silverstein,
Do you know how many terror attacks by Palestinians against Palestinians?
No you don’t want to know. You are better off not knowing.
They are just outnumbered by the Syrians against Syrians.
http://www.jpost.com/Jewish-World/Jewish-News/Jewish-Agency-touts-French-aliyah-increase-346962
What do you make of these figures, Richard?
@ Dangerous Walker: I addressed that in my blog post. In short, HOLY CRAP: French aliyah went from 1,000 a year to 2,000 a year over a single year. That means that in the next 500 years all French Jews will have made aliyah (not really, but just for the sake of argument). Big deal.
And really, quoting Jerusalem Post? Must you?
What about this bit? “Recent findings by the European Union’s Fundamental Rights Agency indicated that a third of Jews from several Western European countries were considering emigration due to anti-Semitism, though it was not indicated that Israel is the only destination that they are considering.”
What do you think of the findings of the survey? http://fra.europa.eu/sites/default/files/fra-2013-discrimination-hate-crime-against-jews-eu-member-states_en.pdf
One of the hallmarks of prejudice are lower average income, higher rates of unemployment and low educational levels in in relation to the average numbers. I couldn’t find anything like this on the research.
Why was my country not included Dangerous Walker? (Netherlands)
Because it had only 5% anti-semites even according to the ADL survey?
French Jews are European citizens, they can move here anytine they like, if things in France were really that bad. No need to go to Israel.
@ Dangerous Walker: Your point being, what? That there is anti-Semitism in Europe? Holy crap. I didn’t know that! There’s Islamophobia & anti-Roma racism as well. There’s also anti-Semitism virtually wherever there are Jews (even Israel) and even some places where there aren’t. Your point being?
Are you arguing that threats to Jews in Europe are greater than threats to Israelis in Israel? Are you arguing that Israel is a less racist society than Europe? If so, you’d be wrong on both counts.
You’re done in this thread. Move on.
Richard, there is a saying, which some attribute to “Don Quijote” that goes; “The dogs are barking, it is a signal we are moving forward”.
Go on, Richard, people like you are absolutely necessary in this world of ours, you have the support of many of us who do not care if a human being is a Muslim, a Jew, a Christian, an atheist or whatever to stand up with them against injustice and oppression wherever they may be!!
@ Carlos: Thanks!!
Thanks to you, Richard, it takes courage to do what you do: NOT the fascist “courage” of those who actually despise life, even their own, like Spanish falangistas shouting “Long live death”; but the courage of those who will stand up for what is right, no matter what, because they cherish life.
Keep on, my friend!