My last great love was a Frenchman. He was an outstanding poet, musician and extremely intelligent - except for a few blind spots, one of them being his belief that Frenchmen were the best of lovers and that Americans should send their teenage daughters to France to be taught the art of love making.

His blind spot was his Frenchness per se. Who does not have blind spots when it comes to one's own culture; one's own roots. In America we honor France, without which we might not have won our own Revolutionary war against England (who called our freedom fighters 'terrorists".

The German people have had to live with what they allowed their leader to do in World War II. Hitler was able to be elected because the Germans were without jobs and hungry and he promised them reform. The German people were so ashamed of what they allowed to happen in their name they decided never again to have a standing army. But they also have reason to be proud: Beethoven was one of theirs...to name only one of their great contributors to the arts.

America has also committed acts to be ashamed of and many are - too many proclaim 'America, love it or leave it' in the mistaken belief that if America does it it has to be good.

In psychology 101, one learns, when a finger is pointed at another a thumb is pointing back at self.

Here is Norman Lebrecht pointing his finger at the French:


"...those tales one heard of farmers selling glasses of tap water to parched fugitives appear to be true."

Farmers, usually being the less educated due to the time consuming (dawn to dusk) work of farming, of course can not be excused for being compassionately to Jewish fugitives, and I would suggest their behavior reflected their own personal experience. It would be racist to suggest that ALL French farmers acted in this manner.

In, at least, rural America, in the early 1940's, jew was a verb among the uneducated.


"...beginnings of collaboration between rural landowners and the German administration, bored women and the officers billeted in their homes."

Billeted...exactly what the Yankees did in Rebel territory. Bored women?


"...officers...beautiful yellow trunks...painted women..."

Sounds very American to me - love affairs with cars - blame painted women for their 'indiscretions'


"...panic-stricken politicians dropping files of secret papers along the road..."

Secret papers, secret government activities...sound familiar in 2006?

"And to think that … this will be transformed into yet another glorious page in the history of France."

As Mr. Lebrecht's article appeared in Jewish World Review - perhaps we can talk about glorious pages in the history of the Jews - where best to find it but in the Old Testament - read Kings I and II for starters. Then turn to Matthew.

Matthew 21:12 And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves

Who were the moneychangers?

Matthew 21:15 And when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that he did,  and the children crying in the temple, and saying, Hosanna to the son of David; they were sore displeased.

They were more than "sore displeased".

Matthew 27:20 But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitude that they should ask Barabbas (be released) and destroy Jesus.

"...the past has been rewritten and turned into a leisure park."

There are those who try to rewrite the past and turn it into lily white hands.

"The Loire, for me, will never look the same again."

But you will speak of Beethoven with honor?