(Jewish Group) As an American, I didn't think I'd be afraid to be Jewish in France. But I am.
I’m an American Jew from New York who now lives in Paris.
What brought me here at the age of 68 in the middle of a pandemic? That’s a long story — a long marriage, a sudden death, trying to put my life back together and deciding instead to change it completely.
I’ve had a love affair with Paris since my second trip here as a college student in the early 1970s. In the ensuing decades I’ve visited France many dozens of times. Moving here was a way to make a long-held dream come true — or so I thought. Instead, my six months living in Paris has been beset with questions I never expected. Here’s one: Is this really the right place for a Jew these days? After spending a lifetime with only intellectual/historical fears, I now find myself facing fears that are far more visceral.
A little over 20 years ago, I had just completed my first book, “The Complete Jewish Guide to France.” By that time, having studied European history, listened to my family’s Holocaust horror stories and spent considerable time in France, I was keenly aware of Europe’s history with the Jewish people. It wasn’t a pretty picture.
more...
= new reply since forum marked as read
