THE JEWISH WORLD   WIESENTHAL CENTER ORGANIZES GROUPS TO COMBAT GROWING ATTACKS AGAINST FRENCH JEWRY Large demonstration in Paris against anti-Semitism and racism The continuing attacks on Jews in France, which have been more numerous than in any other Western country, are being carried out against the background of alarming indifference, with citizens and government leaders turning a blind eye. This indifference, coupled with the threat of anti-Semitism and the verifiably documented acts of violence, are prompting a continued feeling of utter abandonment within France's Jewish community. As I left synagogue, 3 young North Africans surrounded me screaming 'Dirty Jew, f--- your mother, we'll burn your synagogues 'they then threw stones at me as I ran away. I went to the Police Station, where I was told that they do not take complaints of this type...." -- Yves Sellam "Two of the schools officials were attacked by Arabs.They screamed, 'Vive Hitler... Death to the Jews... To the (gas) showers.'" -- Alliance Jewish High School "My son, Noam, is a member of a municipal sports club... on arrival at the pool he was refused entry and told by the official that no Jew could enter or practise sport. This was followed by death threats. The child is in shock." -- Fabienne Dahan "I took my husband home by taxi from the hospital... The driver called me 'Dirty Jew' and drove off fast with me in the car, leaving my husband in the street... She said 'I am taking you to my son who will kill you'.. All my family perished in Auschwitz, I survived." -- Josiane Friedman The Simon Wiesenthal Center, through its Paris-based office, has taken an active role in combating the growth of antisemitism in France by financing and co-sponsoring a grass roots group, the SOS Truth and Security Organization. On Tuesday, June 11, 2002, the SOS project will formally be launched in Paris with the release of the testimony of victims of anti-Semitic attacks. Rabbi Abraham Cooper, the Center's Associate Dean and Dr. Shimon Samuels, the Center's European Representative will be present. The SOS, established by a former police commissioner, along with nineteen Jewish suburban communities of Paris, will assist victims of these attacks. Volunteer lawyers will accompany each victim to the police and local Town Hall, and social workers will address their trauma. A hotline has also been established. Data on these incidents will be generated and then analyzed by Wiesenthal Center researchers. "In so far as the wave of anti-Jewish attacks by Arab and Muslim extremists, as France goes, so goes the rest of Europe", said Rabbi Cooper. "We urge President Chirac and the incoming new cabinet to deal swiftly and effectively with the root causes of the continuing threats and attacks on French Jewish citizens. Reestablishing an environment of mutual respect and tolerance will also inspire other European governments to act", he concluded. The Center has also published a report on the principal anti-Semitic incidents in France. To read a copy of the report, go to www.wiesenthal.com

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