The American Jewish Committee praised France’s efforts to combat anti-Semitism. Following meetings Thursday between AJCommittee leaders and senior French officials, including Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin, the AJCommittee’s executive director, David Harris, told JTA that his organization “had walked away with the sense that the government and the prime minister understand the seriousness of the situation and are prepared to take measures to more effectively deal with the high rate of anti-Semitism.” While there was “no magic wand or silver bullet to defeat anti-Semitism overnight,” Harris said, “we saw during all our meetings that there is a firm, unblinking recognition that the problem is there, it is real and serious and must be confronted.” Last year, the AJCommittee awarded its annual Simon Wiesenthal Prize to Nicolas Sarkozy — at the time, France’s interior minister — for his “courage and determination” in tackling anti-Semitism in France.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
