THE HANDSTAND | DECEMBER 2005 |
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During the German occupation of World War II the Paris
mosque was a refuge for Jewish childrenand others fleeing the Nazis. Kaddour
Benghabrit, rector of the mosque, taught that Islam
required believers to provide shelter and protection to
all who were in trouble, whatever their religion. In the
course of the war, over 1,700 Jews and Resistance
fighters were hidden in the spacious grounds of the
mosque, and not one asylum seeker was captured.
Annette Herskovits was one of those children who survived. Her parentsRomanian Jews who had migrated to France in the 1920swere among those who died in Auschwitz. At age five, she hid in a Paris hotel room while the building next door was demolished by Allied bombs, and she endured the screams of trapped victims for days. Her teenage brother cleverly contacted a clandestine network similar to the one described in Berkani's film, and she was rescued to survive the war. Herskovits is now a committed activist, and she has been working recently to help increase understanding between Arabs and Jews. She pointed out, for example, that many Israelis think of all Palestinians as terrorists, though nonviolent protest against the occupation is common. In Bilin, a village near Ramallah, the nonviolent demonstrations are unusually creative as Mohammad Daraghmeh writes in the Daily Star (Beirut): The first demonstration was restricted to women, and aimed to convey that they came to protest peacefully. The second demonstration was restricted to children. When occupation forces started bulldozing land and uprooting olive trees, the villagers expressed their attachment to their trees, some of which were more than a hundred years old, by tying themselves to those about to be uprooted. The villagers succeeded in delaying the soldiers' work for over five hours while soldiers cut the chains connecting people to their olive trees. Next, participants entered drums that close from the inside, showing their head only, and tied themselves to the trees. Another time, villagers surprised the soldiers with a march of white coffins, each carrying the name of a respected value, such as justice, humanity, rights, manners, etc. Once demonstrators taped their mouths shut while flying the flags of countries that are active in the international arena - symbolizing international silence towards the suffering of the Palestinian people.
These are times of misfortune for both
Israelis and Palestinians. Protests, even nonviolent
protests, are no substitute for a spirit of brotherhood
and a shared desire for peace. Let us hope that both
sides will embrace the words of those Algerian Muslims 60
years ago about the Jews of Paris: "They are our
brothers, and their children are our children." Other work by Derri Berkani:
********************************** LACB Ouvre les Guillemets à Derri Berkani le 3/11/04 pour son livre : " Le tournesol fou " mis en ligne le mercredi 3 novembre 2004 Les années 58-59 sont une période noire et méconnue de la guerre de libération. Une vaste purge est menée, visant à éliminer tous les intellectuels des rangs de lALN : la "Bleuite". Alilou Jebbi, étudiant algérois devenu maquisard en Kabylie, sur le point dêtre exécuté par ses compagnons, réussit à leur échapper. A Mizane, ville où il croit trouver la "paix des braves" promise par larmée française, il découvre lautre face de la guerre avec ses tortures, ses exactions, ses exécutions sommaires. Dès lors quil refuse une collaboration directe, il devient la cible des deux camps, et visé par deux attentats, prêt à céder à la vieille loi du talion, il rencontre Nadia. Sa chance. Soirée animée par Arezki Metref.
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