Get the Hell Out of France

From Paula Stern, at A Soldier's Mother:

We went into Shabbat praying for the hostages and their families in Paris. We knew very few of the details - two killed, though this was denied by the French. At least 6 held hostage.

My youngest is about to turn 15, she has several friends whose parents came from France. The cousin of one was in the store just minutes before the attack; another wasn't able to find a cousin and was afraid she might be inside. This is how we began the Sabbath. "They won't leave," my youngest said to me in sadness. "They won't leave."

As soon as the Sabbath ended, I heard the devastating news that four innocent Jews had been killed and another 15 had been rescued in the hostage situation. Among the dead, was the son of the chief Rabbi of Tunis. They were part of a killing spree that cost France a total of 17 lives during the past week. At least five of those were Jews; the policeman gunned down in cold blood was a Muslim.

I am filled with pain and anger. Some for the Jews themselves. I do not believe in blaming the victim. That is something almost instinctive when you have low opinions of the killers, you naturally think that perhaps there is something the victim could have done - it's wrong.

And yet...I want to shout at the Jewish community in France. Enough already. Get the hell out of France now. I don't care how hard it is - the reality of what France is becoming is harder.

I don't care what it costs - would you place your money above the lives of your children? You have just paid the highest price. God Almighty, what more do you need?

Pack your stinking bags, please please please. The pain tears at our hearts - that is what it is to be a Jew. To feel, to the core of your being, the agony of a Jew, no matter where. All Shabbat, we held you in our prayers, in our hearts, desperate to hear of a miracle; deeply saddened that two had been murdered; terrified that even as we were praying more would have died.

There are a thousand reasons why moving to Israel is hard - the economy, leaving behind roots that have grown over centuries, the comfort of speaking the language of your birth, even if it isn't really the language of your fathers. Grandparents, elderly parents, relatives that can't come now and may never leave. Jobs, homes, stores...a thousand reasons to stay and but one major one to leave - the time has come...

Keep reading.

It's an interesting question. Remember, Claire Berlinski would rather fight the Islamists than have have the Jews flee France for a second time.