D'UNE FEMME L'AUTRE
(as Céline would have said: "from one woman, (to) the other")
On the first evening of the first round of the French election for a new president, it is rather amazing and amusing to note some aspects of French development in political and social ethics. They led tonight to the "enhancement" of a tendency that had started 5 years ago when Nicolas Sarkozy was elected as president of the French Republic.
The idea of this note came rather early as a simple evidence in August 2011 but there was no reason to write a note on the subject. The point came tonight as I was listening to the Israel Radio, in particular my usual medium, Reshet Bet, of course in Hebrew. I have no television. On the internet, no access to the "great French channels" such as inter alia France 2: they decided I am not located in Jerusalem Old City in a zone that "is geographically accessible". The same for the other TV programs. The only one I could follow from 9 pm. to 11 pm. Israeli time was BFMTV, live running after the different candidates and the two "winners" that will be competing on the second round on May 6th next. Also quite pleasing was the presence of Anne Sinclair sharing her comments on air and very quiet; she is the wife of "distressed and confused" former IMF Dominique Strauss-Kahn, now sued for different affairs dealing with side activities he had along with his IMF at New York and in the world.
At this point - I do not vote - I read the international press the usual way I do and turn back to my good old Israeli station, Reshet Bet; they had reporters and reperesentatives in France, also in the country because a lot of French citizens had the opportunity to vote in Israel: Jerusalem, Tel Avvi, also Ashdod, and other places. I ddi not hear of those French citizens who are based in the Palestinian Territories. On the other hand, Noam Schalit - the father of the recently released Israeli soldier from Gaza, Ghilad Schalit, did vote as he is a bearer of a French citizenship.
It seems that a lot of voters rushed to the stations and that things will be adapted for the second round on May 6th. The French who have the right to vote as French citizens in Israel are of two groups; the first is that of those Jewish families and individuals who reside in Israel, those who made their aliyah and thus immigrated but kept their French passeport. Along with them, there are all sorts of business people or teachers and other professionals who for a time or much longer dwell in the country. Then there are still a lot of religeous men and nnus; the men can be clerics and priests. They are usually Catholics and there are some Eastern rite persons and some isolated Orthodox in the country. Finally, some Former Soviet citizens who came to Israel to begin with, got their residence in France years ago and became French citizens while traveling back and forth from Tel Aviv to Moscou and returning to Paris in between.
They constitute two "opposite electoral groups"; the Jews considering what can be profitable for Israel and the Christian residents being more of mixed opinion and following the general political attitude of the French government with regards to Israel and Palestinian Territories.
Whatsoever, there were a lot of voters this year and it will be interesting to see what will happen for the final and decisional round.
But the broadcasting program was very entertainnig, at least.... I started to smile and then to laugh! Really a typical Israeli atmosphere. We are very hot in the country and "sex affairs" are more than important. Decisive. Always a reference. For quite several minutes, not that long by the way, but very significant and said in in-depth reflective voices, the reporters explained the origin of the situation as shown by the results for the first round in France. Quite a jolly good situation: in short, in 2007, candidate Sarkozy becme the president as he had divorced three wives and the last one even entered the Elysées with him while she had already an affair with an industrial. During the installation the children of all re-composed families had attended the ceremony. In the meanwhile, Advertising counsellor and consulant, Jacques Seguela thought he could play the match-maker's fee and just be a normal shdchan as we have them in the Yiddishkayt and find a new and suitable wife to poor newly elected President Nicolas Sarkozy. The choice fell on Ms Carla Bruni-Tedeschi wh ojust had gotte nher French passport - she is Italian, a model and a singer... She even gave birth to a child at the presidential castle in Paris with much discretion. No use to mention her own private and marital résumé.
Good enough! the Israeli reporters discussed for a short while - but it was more than amusing - how these love affairs could have affected the present president and candidate in second. This is our "mirth" here; sex affairs, connections, changes, rebifurcations, coming back, comingouts are just fantastic and because everybody had followed the story of Dominique Strauss-Kahn that is somehow parallel to lesser extent to our deposed President Katzav (not a single word from his wife Gila Katzav) or other crooners we have in politics and/rabbinics and other segments of activities. So what about François Hollande who had started an open relation,nship with Ségolène Royal whom he met at the E.N.A. (National School of Administration). They got together and birthed 4 children that are now grown up, one daughter is still a student.
The spicy aspect of the "political eletion contest" is that on the second round of the Legislative elections (Parliament) in 2007, François Hollande and Ségolène Royal decided to separate. They then declared that François Hollande had a new relationship with a nown journalist since 2006; it had been kept silent during the presidential election in which Ségolène Royal did succeed to be present on the second round, which was quite great and somehow unexpected.
Since François Hollande and Ségolène Royal have been together since 1978, i.e. 35 years on the political battlefield, acting with passion for the victory of the French Left, the situation is quite unique and should be considered adequately. Both have all sorts of connections with all the French parties and historic tendencies, from the Right to the Left. They have been mocked in different ways but both are really the heirs of Fançois Mitterand and they worked with his close co-workers.
At this point, it is not really possible right now to analyze who is who or was or has been in the open family, but the relationship was and only can remain tight, esp. with regards the service of the State. Ségolène Royal, with a lot of enmities but strong convictions and support, capacities to fight challenged François Sarkozy in a very close way and could have won, say it could be tight but possible in 2007. By that time, François Hollande was starting his own reflectino as how to postulate to become a possible candidate.
This means that for the first time in the history of the country, the possible vitory of François Hollande will show the victory and constant dedication to the Leftist political life of the French society, in a loose relationship, children born outside wedlock, bifurcation after 2007. It is quite possible that François Hollande did help his companion to reach the leve lof a credible presidential candidate and that vice versa, Ségolène Royal somehow paved the way to the progression of her partner.
If François Hollande becomes the French president on May 6th, he owes and did work together with Ségolène Royal and this family pattern that will have allowed the winning is also due to a special family call to serve the French State according to specific morals and ethics, flexibility and adaptability.
Av Aleksandr (Winogradsky Frenkel)
Orthodox Archpriest in Jerusalem (Israel)
April 23, 2012
