Early on the morning of October 3, 1941, in the midst of the cruel occupation of Paris by Germany, seven synagogues in Paris were severely damaged by terrorist bombs. This concerted attack was clearly organized with the express consent of the occupiers. Fortunately, because no one was in the synagogues at the time of the bombings, there were no casualties, but the violence marked the beginning of unparalleled persecution of the Jews of Paris.
Shortly after the bombings, my grandfather, then the Secretary-General of the Paris Consistoire, joined Paris’ Chief Rabbi and other lay leaders to examine the extent of the damage. Before very long, Gestapo and French police officers arrived and took control of the sites and the investigation of the bombings. They assuredly had no intention of exposing the perpetrators.
In spite of the obvious risk, my grandfather and a couple of other lay leaders decided to lodge complaints with French government authorities. They determined that, despite the personal danger, it was necessary to put the government to the test to determine whether the perpetrators would be brought to justice. Not surprisingly, the authorities dragged their feet. Even though a criminal investigation was initiated, no one was ever charged with a crime. Subsequent research would ascertain that the attacks had been caused by a French fascist militia, with the full cooperation and active support of the German occupiers and French collaborators.
My thoughts turned to this sad chapter in French Jewish history when I heard the news that, on April 21, 2023, a French court had, at long last, convicted an individual for the 1980 bombing of a synagogue on rue Copernic in Paris, the first time since 1941 that a Paris synagogue had been so targeted.
In 1980, 39 years to the day after the attack on the seven synagogues during the German occupation, a Palestinian agent drove a motorcycle to rue Copernic and parked it in front of the main Conservative synagogue of the city. He left the motorcycle; a few minutes later it exploded. Four individuals on the street, only one of whom was Jewish, were killed, and many were severely injured. The synagogue itself was heavily damaged.
That evening, in an interview on French television, Prime Minister Raymond Barre made the regrettable observation that: “This odious attack was aimed at hitting Jews going to the synagogue but hit innocent French people who crossed rue Copernic.” With his remarks, made 189 years after France had granted full equal rights to its Jewish citizens, one of France’s most prominent political leaders had chosen to suggest that Jews were less than full-fledged citizens of the French Republic.
The remark sparked outrage among France’s Jewish community.
The outrage was augmented by the very slow pace of the investigation into the bombing. Even though French authorities determined and eventually announced that the terrorist act had been planned and carried out by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, no prosecution ensued.
For years, families of the victims sought justice from French authorities; they wanted the perpetrators prosecuted. French authorities seemed unmotivated.
It was only in 2014, nearly 25 years after the attack, that the French government asked the Canadian government to extradite a Lebanese-Canadian professor to France to stand trial for the attack on the Copernic synagogue. After some maneuvering, Canada acquiesced to the request, and Hassan Diab was sent to France. He was indicted and ordered to stand trial. But, a court of appeals struck down the charges and Diab left France. Nonetheless, sometime later, a higher court reversed the court of appeals and ordered that Diab stand trial.
New requests to Canada to once again extradite Diab went unanswered. However, this time, in spite of the lengthy passage of time, French judicial authorities determined to hold a trial even without the presence of Diab. A trial began on April 6 of this year. Diab was defended by William Bourdon, a skilled and media-savvy attorney with whom I have worked extensively in the past and whom I consider a friend. In spite of Bourdon’s considerable talents, on April 21, 43 years after the Copernic synagogue attack, Diab was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison for the attack.
Even though Canada may not rapidly extradite Diab, for once, the French legal system has delivered justice to victims of antisemitic violence. It is true that it has taken a long time to reach this outcome, but for the families of those who suffered directly and for the entire French Jewish community, which has seen repeated denials of justice in recent years, this outcome is most welcome.
France was the first Western nation to grant equality to its Jewish residents during the French Revolution. Since then, life for Jews in France has been a roller coaster ride. There have been periods of great good fortune, but there have also been times of enormous difficulty. In more recent times, threats and actions by Muslim extremists have posed serious problems to the community. French courts have only too often shown themselves unwilling to impose consequential penalties on those who have threatened or harmed Jews.
The verdict against Hassan Diab is a tribute to the persistence of those who sought justice, but also to the French judicial system. Punishing crimes is vital to the survival of a society. Doing so even-handedly, even if done with delay and convoluted procedures, is essential to the well-being of all members of society. For once, France has risen to the occasion for the benefit of its proud Jewish citizens.
Gerard Leval is a partner in a Washington, DC law firm. His book, “Lobbying for Equality, Jacques Godard and the Struggle for Jewish Civil Rights during the French Revolution,” was published by HUC Press in 2022.
