Skip to main content

Modern French Anti-Semitism - A Recipe

Ever wonder what makes French anti-Semitism different from that of anti-Semitism in other countries? Me, too! That is why I just finished writing a 23-page research paper on the uniqueness of French anti-Semitism for one of my graduate courses! Now, lucky for you, I thought I would share you and the with the world one of the more clever aspects of my paper. As I was writing I began to think about all of the elements that combined to make France's sort of anti-Semitism its very own and reminded me of a recipe. So, here is the recipe I submitted in my introduction - hopefully my professor has a sense of humor...
Disclaimer: Please note that I am NOT supporting anti-Semitism of any sort! Nor am I saying all French people are xenophobic anti-Semites. Just wanted to make that clear...
-->
Recipe for: Modern French Anti-Semitism Serves: all of France
Ingredients:

1 part traditional anti-Semitism (a medieval recipe of equal parts blood libel and host desecration mythology combined with intermittent expulsions and chronic stories of the perfidious, unscrupulous nature of dirty Jews…if you can’t find the ingredients, just make up negative stuff – the more ludicrous, the better)

1.25 parts classism (working class Jews are especially appalling. Only target rich Jews when they are no longer useful to you or when you have used up the poorer ones)

1.5 parts nationalism (for better or for worse, the French are superior, so if the Jews want any shot at rights, they must assimilate. More French, less Jew!)

2 parts xenophobia (watch out for any foreigner, but particularly foreign Jews – especially those from Eastern Europe. They will deflate your proverbial soufflé faster than slamming the front door!)

Directions: Mix, shake, and stir all parts together. Results may vary from verbal and written protests to street riots and massacres, especially when endorsed by the State and/or the Roman Catholic Church.

Suggested pairings: Best served with a side of scapegoat or whipping boy. 

Note: Aggressively blend French Anti-Semitism with political, social, and economic instability for an easy recipe for DISASTER, sometimes called catastrophe, and known to Jews worldwide simply as la Shoah. 

Follow on Bloglovin

Comments

The Sabbatical Chef said…
I am so glad to find a new entry on your blog. I learned so much during my March student trip to Paris because our guide was Jewish and he shared places with us I've never seen. I let him know before we arrived that some of my students had read Sarah's Key and were interested in learning more.
Keep writing!
July 29, 2012 at 8:06 PM
Jennifer said…
Where did he take you? Did you visit the Jewish Quarter in the Marais? I am going to Paris in January and have a couple of memorials (like the one to the deportees near Notre Dame) that I have not yet seen on my "to do" list...maybe you know of more I can add?
July 30, 2012 at 7:02 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Les Femmes Tondues

"Germany Wins on All Fronts" - the Eiffel Tower (Getty Images) It is no great secret that some French collaborated during the Nazi Occupation of France. Some did it for less than admirable reasons, such as political gain, anti-Semitism, or true fascist ideology. Other people were frightened and saw no end to the Occupation, while some were motivated simply by the desire to survive.  Many women who collaborated fall into the latter category. French women and German soldiers enjoying lunch at a café (Unidentified Photo Source) Food, clothes, and fuel (among other items) were scarce during the Occupation. Nearly everything needed to sustain life was rationed, and much of France's food and other  necessary  commodities were shipped to Germany. One way to ensure warmth and a full belly was by making nice with a German soldier.  A French woman chats with a German soldier in front of the Eiffel Tower during the Occupation In a desperate attempt to surv...
22 comments
Read more

Sylvia Beach - An American In Paris

This past fall I read Americans in Paris: Life and Death Under Nazi Occupation by Charles Glass. Meticulously researched, the book described the collaboration, resistance, and survival stories of several Americans during the Occupation. Of all the fascinating Americans Glass discussed, I felt an instant connection to one, and have been mildly obsessed with her ever since… Sylvia Beach Photo Source: donswaim.com/ripley-lawrence.htm The Woman Nancy Woodridge Beach was born on March 14, 1887 in Baltimore, Maryland.  She spent much of her childhood and young adult life living throughout Europe. Her first encounter with Paris came at a young age when her father, a pastor, was appointed assistant minister of the American Church in Paris, as well as director of the American student center. As a young adult she spent time in Spain and even served a stint in Serbia in the Red Cross. Although her birth name was Nancy, she would become known to the world as Sylvia Beach. ...
3 comments
Read more

La Rafle du Vel d’Hiv (The Vel d’Hiv Round Up)

Photo Source: 1 st Art Gallery Every Holocaust survivor – every ghost of those who did not survive - has a story to tell. Each story is unique, yet equally tragic. Some we have heard more than once, while others lay silent, buried in the dusty pages of a nation’s shame… Occupation and Anti-Semitism 14 June 1942 marked the two-year anniversary of the Nazi occupation of Paris. By this point, many French had joined the Résistance , while others felt it in their best interest to collaborate with the Nazi regime. Many Jews had fled France, and those who remained behind lived in chronic fear. The Jewish Decrees (France's version of the Nuremberg Laws) saw the Jews of Paris stripped of their livelihoods, property, and rights. As in other occupied areas of Europe, the French Jews were required to wear the yellow stars of David. Inscribed with a single word in the center, Juif (Jew), the badges had to be sewn neatly on the left side of the chest. Failure to do so coul...
17 comments
Read more