Hanukkah celebrations in France spark secularism debate

A ceremony was held yesterday evening at the Elysee Palace, the presidential residence in the capital Paris, as part of the Conference of European Rabbis, with the participation of France's Chief Rabbi Haim Korsia.

Korsia lit a candle here to mark the beginning of the Hanukkah holiday.

While these images, which were reflected on social media, caused a reaction, the celebration of a religious holiday in the official residence of the French Republic with the participation of the head of state was criticized for being contrary to secularism.

Carole Delga, President of the Occitanie Region, stated in a post on the X social media platform that the Elysee Palace is not a "place of worship."

Delga reminded that December 9 is the anniversary of the 1905 secularism law, which separates state and religious affairs.

Pointing out that "with this action, Macron has sent the wrong message for the republic," Delga stated that secularism cannot be compromised.

French MP Jerome Guedj noted in a statement on the same platform that French elected officials should not attend any religious ceremonies, including Hanukkah.

MP Adrien Quatennens stated that the Elysee Palace had "turned into a place of worship" last night and asked whether a Latin mass would be read there on Sunday.

FRENCH JEWS ALSO CRITICAL

Yonathan Arfi, President of the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions of France (CRIF), the umbrella organization for Jewish groups in France, stated on Radio Sud that the incident at the presidential residence was a "mistake" and that it should not have happened.

Stating that the Elysee Palace is not the place to light a Hanukkah candle and that the essence of the French republic lies in staying away from matters related to religion, Arfi expressed that he did not know the reasons that pushed Macron to act this way.

An X social media platform user named Michael Sadoun also stated, "I am a French Jew and the Hanukkah images at the Elysee bother me."

Arguing that there is "favoritism" behind this situation, Sadoun stated that he would have preferred Macron to be there only to stand against antisemitism.

CRITICISM THAT "SECULARISM IS USED AGAINST MUSLIMS"

The celebration of Hanukkah at the Elysee Palace also brought with it the criticism that the government "uses secularism only against Muslims."

Journalist Amine Snoussi argued in an X post that the government's vision of secularism serves only to oppress Muslims.

According to a post on social media, a citizen who called the Elysee Palace Secretariat reminded them that Friday is important for Muslims and asked, "Can I come (to the Elysee Palace) and perform Friday prayers?"

The citizen asked the person on the phone if it was possible to celebrate the upcoming holiday at the Elysee Palace as well, saying, "I wanted to ask if we, as Muslims, have the right to this, since there was a religious celebration at the Elysee Palace yesterday."

The person on the other end of the phone responded to the question about Friday prayers by saying, "What kind of question is that?" and stated that they would convey the requests in question.

MACRON'S CABINET DEFENDED HIM

Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne claimed in a statement to the press that antisemitism is on the rise in the country and said that the French President did such a thing to show his support for the Jewish community in this context.

Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin, on the other hand, commented in a television program he attended that "secularism does not mean ignoring religions."

Darmanin argued that Macron was defending "religions" and did not violate the principle of secularism.

According to reports in the national press, Macron stated that secularism does not mean eliminating religions, but rather granting everyone the freedom to choose whether or not to have a faith.

Macron noted that he did not regret the celebration of the beginning of the Hanukkah holiday at the presidential residence and that this celebration took place in accordance with the spirit of the republic.

The secularism law that came into effect in France in 1905 separated state affairs from religious affairs.

In France, where the first article of the constitution states that it is a "secular republic," the principle of secularism requires that state representatives and civil servants do not display their religious affiliations while on duty.