CRIF and the Republic's Dinner

The CRIF was created in 1943 in clandestinity to represent the Jewish community of France. Its annual dinner, created in 1985 by Theo Klein, has become one of the most important politico-media events in France.

DOCUMENTED FACTS:

• 800+ guests per year (compared to 50 in 1985)
• Presence of Presidents of the Republic, Prime Ministers, Ministers
• The CRIF takes a position on Israeli policy and France-Israel relations
• Guests pay a cover charge of which 800 EUR are considered a donation qualifying for 66% tax deduction (528 EUR reimbursed by the public treasury)
• Mélenchon and Le Pen are never invited

CRITICISMS:

• Samuel Ghiles-Meilhac reproaches the CRIF a 'sentiment of excessive deference towards the Israeli government'
• Orient XXI documents that the CRIF is 'on the brink of Israel's crisis'
• IRIS (Boniface) analyzes the CRIF as a lobby
• The exclusion of Mélenchon and Le Pen is seen as an exercise of political power

NUANCES:

• The CRIF is a French communal organization, not an Israeli body
• The French Jewish community (~500,000 people) is the largest in Europe
• The dinner can also be seen as an act of republican solidarity in the face of antisemitism
• Other religious communities organize similar events (less publicized)