Dreyfus II

French anti-semitism is an odd phenomenon, rearing its ugly head suddenly and at irregular intervals. Normally, the French have been quite good to Jews and others since the revolution. However, the infamous Dreyfus Affair in the late 1800's and similar incidents show that somehow, Jews are never really French, and never will be. The latest isn't too bad, and it's more likely perpetrated by Muslims than Frenchmen, if it was indeed malicious: a small fire at the Israeli embassy. However, this incident, along with increasing numbers of others of its ilk underscore the growing rift between Israel and the EU.

A lot of non-Jews roll their eyes and mutter something about paranoia when the subject of European anti-semitism comes up, but as a 3rd-gen survivor, this stuff sends shivers up my spine. The good news is that most European adults are very well aware of their own parents' mistakes in the 30's and 40's - which wasn't long ago at all! The bad news is, most young people aren't. And again, I know the Holocaust is not likely to be repeated, but if one of the most educated, civilized, and technologically advanced nations in the world could do it, why not their grandchildren? If anything Europe is further from Christianity than in the 30's, and that morally bankrupt society has shown remarkable instability for a wealthy region in the past few years, with polarization occuring as elites push their agendas in Brussels and elsewhere.

I'm gonna get off the soapbox now and go to bed... it's late.