French National Bureau for Vigilance Against
Antisemitism (BNVCA) 2016 Trophy Awarded to Shimon Samuels
Paris, 23 June
At a star-studded dinner in Paris, featuring five celebrated
French film stars, the National Bureau for Vigilance Against
Antisemitism (BNVCA) presented its 2016 Trophies - A silver
sculpture of the "Tree of Life" - to three awardees: Publicis
President Maurice Levy, Nazi hunters Beate and Serge Klarsfeld
and Simon Wiesenthal Centre Director for International
Relations Dr. Shimon Samuels. L.to R. Samuels, Levy
& Klarsfeld Photo credit Alain AZRIA
BNVCA President Sammy Ghozlan and Centre Simon
Wiesenthal - France President Richard Odier, honoured Samuels
for "his role in the Bureau's establishment and his commitment
to containing antisemitism in France and in the international
arena". L. to R. Ghozlan, Samuels
& Odier
Photo credit Alain AZRIA
The Gala took as its credo Jean-Paul Sartre's maxim "No
Frenchman will be safe as long as a Jew - in France or
anywhere in the world - must fear for his life".
Samuels' response to the gathering -
"Dear Sammy , the team of the BNVCA, my President Richard
Odier, his father in-law René Lévy, organiser of tonight's
events, who informed me of this award,
Dear Friends,
In 2002, the second Intifada was raging with repercussions
for Jews across Europe. By chance, Sammy and I were seated
at the same table at the CRIF dinner. He had an idea, a
monitoring operation office with a telephone hot-line for
victims of antisemitic threats and violence, at that time
mostly in the suburbs.
The Simon Wiesenthal Centre had some experience in that
area - thus was born 'SOS Antisemitisme'.
This was the second wave of antisemitic terrorism in
France, the first mainly imported from the Middle-East,
was between 1980 to 1982 - from the Copernic synagogue to
rue des Rosiers with - in between - 73 shootings and
bombings of Jewish targets in Western Europe, of which 29
in France.
It ended with the Israeli incursion in August 1982 against
PLO terrorist camps in southern Lebanon.
European trainees fled home, where their first targets
were no longer Jews. They needed money, so attacked
banks, then embassies and military installations. Now
governments cracked down, Vigipirate was created and
Action Directe, Baader Meinhoff and the Red Brigades were
destroyed.
As Simon Wiesenthal said, "What starts with the Jews,
never ends with them". The second wave, from 2001 was not
clearly understood by the authorities or most Jews. It
was no longer imported. It was demographic, native-born
and in the suburbs. Many in Paris said "it's out there"
- yet only 30 minutes away.
We are now in the third wave, no longer out there, nor
exclusively Jewish. Out of 'SOS Antisemitisme' has
developed the BNVCA, which we, at the Centre Simon
Wiesenthal and the association Verbe et Lumière-Vigilance,
view as our French partner.
Sammy, like us, is an activist - in English a maverick -
stubborn, he never understood the word "no" - whether as a
witness in my trial for defamation brought by CBSP, or in
countering BDS (Boycott, Divestment Sanctions).
May he continue to infuse us in this never-ending battle
against our enemies, who are the enemies of democracy and
the Republic.
Thank you for this recognition, which I will always
treasure.
Thank you on behalf of my wife, Graciela, who really
deserves it.
Vive the volunteer team of BNVCA, Vive Sammy Ghozlan and
Thank you."
For further information please contact Shimon
Samuels on +33 60 97 70 158