Tackling assimilation and anti-Semitism, France’s chief rabbi gets wired
In Rosh Hashanah interview, Haim Korsia says he reaches out to young French Jews where they spend their time — on Twitter and Facebook
PARIS — France’s Chief Rabbi Haim Korsia is a cleric with a wired flock. Elected to a seven-year term in 2014, the Orthodox rabbi represents an innovative new leadership, one with an emphasis on academic accomplishment — he has several academic degrees, including an MBA and a PhD — and a savvy social media strategy.
Korsia, who turns 53 this month, is not the only one in his post to use social media to communicate with the public. England’s Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis, for instance, owns the Twitter handle @chiefrabbi and the URL chiefrabbi.org. But it is Korsia who faces one of the most hostile European climates toward Jews since World War II, and he turns to Twitter and Facebook to discuss it.
Since the chief rabbi secured his current position, French Jewry has increasingly suffered rising acts of anti-Semitism — in 2015, an average of two a day, according to the Service de Protection de la Communauté Juive, the Protective Service of the Jewish Community.
And as it has been widely reported, some of these attacks are deadly, including the seven-hour siege at the Hyper Cacher kosher market in Paris on January, 2015, which took the lives of four.
Korsia has likened the situation to that of Moses and the Israelites, paralyzed with fear before entering the as-of-then unsplit Red Sea.
“Now is the time for fraternity,” he said after the attack at Charlie Hebdo in November, 2015. “Sometimes the only way is to enter the Red Sea — to go in and rebuild a new solidarity, rebuild links between Christians, Protestant, Catholics, Muslims, and Jews, and rebuild hope.”
To that end, Korsia is involved in interfaith dialogue, posting television appearances and offering greetings to Muslims for such holidays as Aid El Kebir on Twitter.
And yet, as per his responsibilities, Korsia doesn’t shy away from addressing questions of Jewish ethics, being a part of French society and halacha (Jewish law). He is also a dedicated servant of the Republic, serving as chaplain for the French Army.
In an interview with The Times of Israel, Korsia shared his views on the most pressing issues for his brethren as he prepares for Rosh Hashanah and a New Year of leadership.
How has French Jewry been impacted since the tragedy at Hyper Cacher?
For three days, the French people lived with horror and dread. These coordinated terrorist attacks targeted one of our most cherished values, freedom. As many citizens did, French Jewry demonstrated January 11 to denounce these despicable acts, but above all to show solidarity with the grieving families and collectively affirm our commitment to the values embodied by the French Republic, namely “liberty, equality, fraternity.”
Like the rest of nation, the Jewish community — whose story is sadly marked by drama — managed to recover, to continue to live, without ever forgetting or denying what it entails. Tragically, we then had to experience the deadliest terrorist attacks in France since 1945 and the end of World War II on November 13 [during the Charlie Hebdo massacre in 2015]. By their scale and targets, these marked an unprecedented turning point in our recent history. These attacks have destroyed countless families that will forever mourn. However, terrorists have not altered the sense of belonging to the national community — quite the opposite — shown by so many expressions of kindness.
From now on, all the French people have become a target because they embody the values of “liberty, equality, fraternity” that some abhor. For too long, many tended to seemingly look from afar, or even disregard victims of bombing attacks, because they did not consider themselves targets who could ever be hit by such violence. But now that everyone is aware of being a potential target, the whole society shares the risk of being hit by such a tragedy. This is, without a doubt, one of the main changes that has impacted French Jewry.
How has the community responded in terms of security?
I am not comfortable answering this question because the main measures have been implemented by the government and public authorities. I have the feeling that measures implemented by the SPCJ* should not be revealed.
[*Reporter’s note: The 2015 report of the SPCJ, the Service de Protection de la Communauté Juive, on the increase of violent antisemitism in France, can be found online in French, Hebrew and English.]
What are the greatest challenges facing French Jewry today?
We need to commit to developing our synagogues and cultural centers, to promote their activities and diverse initiatives, and to open our structures to people who sometimes feel disconnected from religion. This is, without a doubt, the only way to perpetuate Judaism in France. In that perspective, the third edition of the Shabbat Project is a great initiative that should allow the greatest number of people to share or discover the joy of Shabbat.
‘We need to open our structures to people who sometimes feel disconnected from religion’
It is our collective responsibility to transmit Jewish values by always respecting halacha [Jewish law] as well as French law. This is the project of the Consistory, whose motto is “Religion and Fatherland,” that we carry and defend all the time.
Today more than ever, solidarity and fraternity must be at the heart of our commitments.
How has the climate in France changed with what many perceive as increased tensions between Jews and Muslims?
Anti-Semitism coming from people that are themselves discriminated against and victims of racism, is actually more difficult to theorize. It is indeed more difficult to put people in both the victim and the villain check box. Anti-Semitism has nothing to do with any interpretation of Islam. I do not think at all that a particular religion or a particular religious community is a problem. I spend much of my time talking with Muslims and I never felt that Islam was a religion of hatred.
What types of co-existence efforts bring Jews and Muslims together in France?
There is a great diversity of inter-religious dialogues, conferences and efforts taking place in France. Most of these initiatives are local but can be extended according to demand.
On a national level, we do meet regularly for formal encounters but also non-formal meetings, to discuss major issues that impact us all, such as ritual slaughter, terrorism, education or the fight against racism and anti-Semitism. Earlier this year, the boards of the Consistory and the French Council of the Muslim Faith committed to creating joint working-groups to tackle all this.
What is your response to the increase in French Jews making aliyah?
Aliyah should always meet spiritual religious or ideological needs and never be conceived of as an escape, because that would be tragic.
Making aliyah today does not have the same implications it used to, because we live today in a globalized environment. You can have one foot here and one foot there, without choosing to reject or deny the place you come from. I really do want to point out that successful departures are those that do not result in a definitive break-up with the past. Without minimizing departures’ figures, it is significant to explain that there is always a way to remain faithful to France or any country you come from, regardless of your current place of residence.
How does tension in Israel correlate to violence against Jews in France?
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has for a long time been used as an excuse for some who want to express some sort of violence towards French Jewry. Those who hit, insult, or kill have no political consciousness, no connection to what is happening there.
Tensions in Israel are often viewed as the mother of all conflicts, as if there were no other conflicts happening in the world. Does it mean that people who would die anywhere else in the world would be less newsworthy? Why did no voice rise when 132 children were killed in Pakistan in Peshawar? Every death is unbearable whether it occurs in Gaza or in Israel.
What is your position on French Jews wearing kippot in public?
The discussion came to the surface after an anti-Semitic act of aggression in Marseille last January. I actually said that we should not give in to anything and urged each and every Jew to continue to wear the kippa, because I could not tolerate anyone saying that wearing a kippa could cause such violence.
What remain the greatest accomplishments of French Jewry?
French Jewry has been contributing for the last 2,000 years to make France what it is today. Its history is intimately linked to the Republic and must remain so. We shall continue to bring this combined genius of France and Judaism in order to make it even greater.
