1. paulklein said:

WOW...what an extraordinary insightful and exhaustive overview of so much of ther world`s problems captured in this interview...the best feature of the analysis was the reference to the shul/school....demanding that is should be a vertical,not a horizontal experience...now if we could only convince the "Educators"of this simple,yet necessary concept.....pklein

2. CopperFacedJack said:

As a history teacher once said to me "The Jews though they were going up in the world...., up the chimney!!" LOL

3. BobW said:

A super article; very pleased some of the Jewish elements are catching on.

It's easy enough to follow Alain Finkielkraut's views because France is experiencing what the US has already stated to resolve; the Frankfurt school of thought is both a failure and dangerous - most especially to Jews.

Finkielkraut is indeed a cutting-edge philosopher. He addresses the rap songs. These songs are political indicators no less than LePen's financial support.

If only the evil French did not introduce Pasteurization into Algeria and the French Congo....

Kol tuv,
BobW

4. Leonard said:

When I read about what's going on in France I have to conclude that the situation of multi-culturalism as it exists in England is not so bad after all. As for that CopperFaced piece of sh** above, there are plenty of neo-nazi websites he can go to that share his warped and depraved perspective of the World, so I suggest that is where he heads to.

5. Hated French said:

I happen to be French and I must say that I am extremely pleased to observe a prominent Jewish intellectual in his process of seeing light. There are indeed a lot of problems between French and Africans of French papers.

France is now not a nation, but a creed, a try, populated by anybody from anywhere, a trial shareware in a sense...

6. Kerensky said:

How Mr. Finkielkraut's comments are different from the ones made by the Far Right? When he claims that " the national team today is black-black-black, which arouses ridicule throughout Europe", how he is different from Le Pen who claims French players are not "Real French"? Sorry Mr. Finkielkraut, but it is possible to be French when you are black, arab, jew, asian, christian, atheist...Being French doesn't mean being lillywhite.

When Mr. Finkielkraut claims "this is a revolt with an ethno-religious character", he forgets to say that the poor suburbs who are burning/burnt contain mostly people from African Origin. He forgets to say the French Republic was able to maintain a part of the population in a social ghetto based on ethnic consideration. Ask the Harlis who sacrified everything to fight for France how they were treated!

Nonetheless, I agree with Mr. Finkielkraut when he says that these riots can't be reduced to to their social dimension. IMHO, this is mainly about respect. These kids are treated like scum, so they act like scum. If you are black or arab, it is much harder to rent a flat or to enter a discotheque, you are harrassed by the Police, you are an usual suspect and this is a fact. I don't think these kids are fighting against the Republic, in the contrary, I think they are protesting because they are not part of it. These kids are also torn between two cultures, the one of their parents they see as a failure and a 'western' one, based on consumerism they aren't allowed to be part of.

And to "Hated French", yes France is a try, populated by anybody from anywhere, and this for centuries, and this is what makes its strength, not affraid of the outside, not affraid to evolve.