"The Israeli Palestinian conflict intrudes on our daily life by its unusually extensive media coverage, overshadowing all other conflicts.
If we all agree that it is unacceptable to enact this conflict in France, the acts of physical aggression against Jewish people , synagogues, shops and other places of Jewish life these last two weekends prove that this wrong has been done.
The words and deeds have become extremely radical, and the violence is among us. We fear its amplification despite all the efforts of the authorities who are trying as best as they can to stop this escalation.
Beyond our indignation and denunciation of what is obviously antisemitic violence, is there anything that can we do?
It is our responsibility to contribute to public debate in a measured way - even if we suffer greatly - and to persevere in our commitments to dialogue and hope.
A five-day session exploring Judaism recently brought together nearly 250 inter-religious participants in Angers, while Paris was the theatre of incredible urban violence two Sundays in a row.
The demonstrators who quickly turned into thugs do not seem to know that words can be a source of hope and sharing and thereby become a path to healing.
It is to be feared that the situation will be getting worse, both in the Middle East,and in France. As agents of inter-religious dialogue, it is our duty to continue our work, not to despair and to convey to all and whenever possible the message that our work is intended as an effort for peace."
Author: Liliane Apotheker, France / Member of the ICCJ Executive Board
Further information on the AJCF website:
http://www.ajcf.fr/