To the editor: I do not agree that French President Emmanuel Macron's gamble to call early elections has not paid off for France. Macron's calculated risk to prevent Marine Le Pen's advance in the National Rally and to ally himself with other political parties generated a massive wave at the polls, which kept the National Rally at bay.
The willingness of French politicians, who had initially campaigned for office, to strategically withdraw their candidacies in order to consolidate the anti-far-right vote demonstrates a commendable sacrifice for the greater good of the country. While the arduous task of unifying the various political factions now begins, it is clear that France has succeeded in containing the rise of far-right forces, at least for the moment. France had a great example of whom not to emulate: the United States.
Long live France, indeed!
Yasmin Netervala-Iseli, Zurich, Switzerland
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To the editor: I lived in Paris for a year during my third year of high school, between 1978 and 1979. It was a time of great anti-Semitism. In the Marais, there were bombs in shops and a synagogue.
I went to a home goods store and when I asked the appliance salesman why one needs a large oven and a small one, his response was “one is for big Jews and one is for small Jews.”
I was very shocked by that. But make no mistake, that salesman was not an immigrant or a Muslim. He was a white Frenchman. Members of the Vichy government, who were white French and Christian, were quick to round up the Jewish population and send them to extermination camps.
Trump, like Le Pen, appeals to white supremacists. Jews around the world must open their eyes and realize that white supremacists are trying to gain power by pitting Jews and Muslims against each other so that it will be much easier to get rid of us all.
Erica Fox, Studio City
