(Ha'aretz) Eliahu Salpeter - For the first time since the Nazi era, Jews in a democratic European state view emigration as the answer to their fears and their children's future. The French government is sensitive to the electoral strength of the millions of Muslim voters, but the French security services are among the most diligent in the war against Muslim violence and terror. What is already clear to many French is that their pro-Arab policy does not guarantee them immunity from Arab terror. Over the past decade, Jews have begun to return to the CIS while holding on to their Israeli citizenship, bringing with them an Israeli spiritual and cultural awareness. They want a Jewish education for their children, with an estimated one-third of the pupils in Jewish day schools in the CIS the children of returnees. Many take an active part in the local Jewish community. They listen to Voice of Israel broadcasts, receive Israeli newspapers, and visit Israel often. The returnees are helping to save the Jews of the CIS from total assimilation.
2004-09-10 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive