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On Fri, 22 Aug 2008 17:52:26 +0100, "Agamemnon" <...@hello.to.NO_SPAM
"++" <...@rcn.net...
Nothing to do with Macedonia whatsoever.
This on the other hand is something to do with the Jewish History of
Macedonia.
http://www.greeknewsonline.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=6807&mode =thread&order=0&thold=0
What to expect from France's new president, scion of one of the oldest
Jewish families of Salonika, Greece
By Raanan Eliaz
In an interview Nicolas Sarkozy gave in 2004, he expressed an extraordinary
understanding of the plight of the Jewish people for a home:
'Should I remind you the visceral attachment of every Jew to Israel, as a
second mother homeland? There is nothing outrageous about it. Every Jew
carries within him a fear passed down through generations, and he knows that
if one day he will not feel safe in his country, there will always be a
place that would welcome him. And this is Israel.' (From the book ' La
Rblique, les religions, l'espnce', interviews with Thibaud Collin and
Philippe Verdin.)
Sarkozy's sympathy and understanding is most probably a product of his
upbringing; it is well known that Sarkozy's mother was born to the Mallah
family, one of the oldest Jewish families of Salonika, Greece. Additionally,
many may be surprised to learn that his yet-to-be-revealed family history
involves a true and fascinating story of leadership, heroism and survival.
It remains to be seen whether his personal history will affect his foreign
policy and France's role in the Middle East conflict.
In the 15th century, the Mallah family (in Hebrew: messenger or angel)
escaped the Spanish Inquisition to Provence, France and moved about one
hundred years later to Salonika. In Greece, several family members became
prominent Zionist leaders, active in the local and national political,
economic, social and cultural life. To this day many Mallahs are still
active Zionists around the world.
Sarkozy's grandfather, Aron Mallah, nicknamed Benkio, was born in 1890.
Beniko's uncle Moshe was a well-known Rabbi and a devoted Zionist who, in
1898 published and edited 'El Avenir', the leading paper of the Zionist
national movement in Greece at the time. His cousin, Asher, was a Senator in
the Greek Senate and in 1912 he helped guarantee the establishment of the
Technion - the elite technological university in Haifa, Israel. In 1919 he
was elected as the first President of the Zionist Federation of Greece and
he headed the Zionist Council for several years. In the 1930's he helped
Jews flee to Israel, to which he himself immigrated in 1934. Another of
Beniko's cousins, Peppo Mallah, was a philanthropist for Jewish causes who
served in the Greek Parliament, and in 1920 he was offered, but declined,
the position of Greece's Minister of Finance. After the establishment of the
State of Israel he became the country's first diplomatic envoy to Greece.
In 1917 a great fire destroyed parts of Salonika and damaged the family
estate. Many Jewish-owned properties, including the Mallah's, were
expropriated by the Greek government. Jewish population emigrated from
Greece and much of the Mallah family left Salonika to France, America and
Israel. Sarkozy's grandfather, Beniko, immigrated to France with his mother.
When in France Beniko converted to Catholicism and changed his name to
Benedict in order to marry a French Christian girl named Ad Bouvier.
Ad and Benedict had two daughters, Susanne and Andr Although Benedict
integrated fully into French society, he remained close to his Jewish
family, origin and culture. Knowing he was still considered Jewish by blood,
during World War II he and his family hid in Marcillac la Croisille in the
Corr region, western France.
During the Holocaust, many of the Mallahs who stayed in Salonika or moved to
France were deported to concentration and extermination camps. In total,
fifty-seven family members were murdered by the Nazis. Testimonies reveal
that several revolted against the Nazis and one, Buena Mallah, was the
subject of Nazis medical experiments in the Birkenau concentration camp.
In 1950 Benedict's daughter, AndrMallah, married Pal Nagy Bosca y
Sarkozy, a descendent of a Hungarian aristocratic family. The couple had
three sons - Guillaume, Nicolas and Frans. The marriage failed and they
divorced in 1960, so Andrraised her three boys close to their
grandfather, Benedict. Nicolas was especially close to Benedict, who was
like a father to him. In his biography Sarkozy tells he admired his
grandfather, and through hours spent of listening to his stories of the Nazi
occupation, the 'Maquis' (French resistance), De Gaulle and the D-day,
Benedict bequeathed to Nicolas his political convictions.
Sarkozy's family lived in Paris until Benedict's death in 1972, at which
point they moved to Neuilly-sur-Seine to be closer to the boys' father, Pal
(who changed his name to Paul) Sarkozy. Various memoirs accounted Paul as a
father who did not spend much time with the kids or help the family
monetarily. Nicolas had to sell flowers and ice cream in order to pay for
his studies. However, his fascination with politics led him to become the
city's youngest mayor and to rise to the top of French and world politics.
The rest is history.
It may be a far leap to consider that Sarkozy's Jewish ancestry may have any
bearing on his policies vis-is Israel. However, many expect Sarkozy's
presidency to bring a dramatic change not only in France's domestic affairs,
but also in the country's foreign policy in the Middle-East. One cannot
overestimate the magnitude of the election of the first French President
born after World War II, whose politics seem to represent a new dynamic
after decades of old-guard Chirac and Mitterrand. There is even a reason to
believe that Sarkozy, often mocked as 'the American friend' and blamed for
'ultra-liberal' worldviews, will lean towards a more Atlanticist policy.
Nevertheless, there are several reasons that any expectations for a drastic
change in the country's Middle East policy, or foreign policy in general,
should be downplayed.
First, one must bear in mind that France's new president will spend the
lion's share of his time dealing with domestic issues such as the country's
stagnated economy, its social cohesiveness and the rising
integration-related crime rate. When he finds time to deal with foreign
affairs, Sarkozy will have to devote most of his energy to protecting
France's standing in an ever-involved European Union. In his dealings with
the US, Sarkozy will most likely prefer to engage on less explosive
agenda-items than the Middle-East.
Second, France's foreign policy stems from the nation's interests, rooted in
reality and influenced by a range of historic, political, strategic and
economic considerations. Since Sarkozy's landing at the Elyson May 16
will not change those, France's foreign policy ship will not tilt so quickly
under a new captain.
Third reason why expectations for a drastic change in France's position in
the Middle-East may be na is the significant weight the French Ministry
of Foreign Affairs exerts over the country's policies and agenda. There,
non-elected bureaucrats tend to retain an image of Israel as a destabilizing
element in the Middle-East rather then the first line of defense of
democracy. Few civil servants in Quai d'Orsay would consider risking
France's interests or increasing chances for 'a clash of civilizations' in
order to help troubled Israel or Palestine to reach peace.
It is a fair to predict that France will stay consistent with its support in
establishing a viable Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital,
existing side by side with a peaceful Israel. How to get there, if at all,
will not be set by Sarkozy's flagship but rather he will follow the
leadership of the US and the EU. Not much new policy is expected regarding
Iran, on which Sarkozy has already voiced willingness to allow development
of civilian nuclear capabilities, alongside tighter sanctions on any
developments with military potency.
One significant policy modification that could actually come through under
Sarkozy is on the Syrian and Lebanese fronts. The new French president is
not as friendly to Lebanon as was his predecessor, furthermore, as the
Minister of the Interior, Sarkozy even advocated closer ties between France
and Syria. Especially if the later plays the cards of talking-peace
correctly, Sarkozy may increase pressure on Israel to evacuate the Golan
Heights in return for a peace deal with Assad.
Despite the above, although Sarkozy's family roots will not bring France
closer to Israel, the presidents' personal Israeli friends may. As a
Minister of Interior, Sarkozy shared much common policy ground with former
Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. The two started to develop a
close friendship not long ago and it is easy to observe similarities not
only in their ideology and politics, but also in their public image. If
Netanyahu returns to Israel's chief position it will be interesting to see
whether their personal dynamic will lead to a fresh start for Israel and
France, and a more constructive European role in the region.
*** Raanan Eliaz is a former Director at the Israeli National Security
Council and the Hudson Institute, Washington D.C. He is currently a Ph.D.
candidate at the Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium, and a consultant on
European-Israeli Affairs. He wrote this column for European Jewish Press, a
Brussels-based pan-European news agency.
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On Fri, 22 Aug 2008 11:38:12 -0700 (PDT), Istor the Macedonian <...@gmail.com
On 22 Αύγ, 19:13, ++ <...@spambot.com
Haivanitsa my dear, Macedonians have always been Greeks. Open your
eyes to see it.
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