Wednesday, December 14, 2022
Professor Cyrille Cohen sounds as though he’d be the perfect person to call on if you’ve got questions to ask about vaccine effectiveness against COVID-19. Cohen is head of the Laboratory of Immunotherapy and vice dean of Life Sciences at Israel’s Bar Ilan University. But instead of asking him about the virus, the host of a French television show berated Cohen, his invited guest, for wearing a yarmulke. A second panelist, French-Jewish journalist Elisabeth Levy, seemed to take special umbrage at Cohen’s religious apparel, telling the eminent scientist that covering one’s head with a skullcap is “indiscreet.”
In other words, what happened here on French TV is that a Jew was put on trial. It began with a question bearing no
relationship to the topic at hand. “I will ask a question because a lot of people are asking and it has
nothing to do with medicine,” said the CNews host to Prof. Cohen. a lot of people are asking why the
professor is wearing a religious symbol in the studio?”
Confused at being asked about his attire rather than his
specialty, Cohen replied that wearing a cap on his head wasn’t any kind of
special statement for the viewers. It’s just what he does. "Why?" said Cohen, "Because I wear it every day."
That is when Levy jumped into the conversation. “I also asked him this when we went to the coffee machine."
And in that
moment, the gig was up.
There were not “a lot
of people” asking why Cohen wears what he wears. It was a single person,
Elisabeth Levy, who had inspired this coup that made for some remarkable
television. Remarkably hateful, that is. Hateful in that a Jew was put on trial
for following his beliefs. And if that’s not antisemitic, what is?
Had a discussion on vaccines been on the table at all? Or was it all about luring Cohen onto the show to lambaste him on air for
wearing a Jewish beanie on his head? It’s not such a crazy idea, really. Attacking a guy for his visibly Jewish appearance is bound to be a
heckuva lot more exciting than talking about COVID-19--makes for MUCH better
television.
We will never know whether the ambush of Prof. Cohen was coincidental
or by design. But we do know that Elisabeth Levy saw an opening to divert attention away from Cohen, and toward herself, that
all might see how woke she is for playing the role of Jew in name only (JINO).
Cohen understood now that he had been invited not to discussed vaccines, but to be mocked and reviled for being visibly Jewish on French soil.
“Full disclosure,” said Cohen of the thin piece of cloth on his head, “I
wear it every day. I
did not put it on especially for this show,” and yet here he was, being forced to
defend his religious practice without warning, while live on TV. As opposed to
doing what he’d been invited to do: talk about the effectiveness of vaccines.
Something that actually falls within the purview of his special expertise.
Levy, naturally, was unsympathetic. She didn't care. She wanted
the spotlight on her, Levy. So she took over from the host completely, lecturing Cohen about the French concept of
“laicite,” secularism, as the host sat back to enjoy the show. “You
understand, don’t you?” said Levy, as if Cohen were a five-year-old. “To
us, secularism is the standard. This is not against religion, but you should
try to observe your religion to
yourself. Do you understand?”
It is unfortunate that someone forgot to tell Levy that in
the scheme of things—in the hierarchy of Jewish tribal affiliations, that is—Cohen
trumps Levy. Even when it comes to French daytime television fodder. This Cohen knew what to say.
“They call me ‘Cohen,’” said the immunologist, shouting and gesturing to the heavens. “[It’s] my name! Why would you want me to keep my
religion to myself? I come from Israel.”
Simple logic. Professor Cohen doesn’t live in France. He is
not bound by the illiberal and immoral French laws that forbid Yidden to show
their fear of God at swimming
pools and public schools.
Elisabeth Levy, however, cares nothing for logic and even less
about science, ostensibly the topic under discussion. Levy is like a dog with a
bone. She simply won’t let go. She knows what her audience likes as well as
what they don’t like: Jews that look, well, JEWY. Levy was playing to the crowd and darned if she wouldn't exploit that for all it's worth.
“There are [other] people here who call themselves ‘Cohen’ and they do not wear a yarmulke. So do like them and not like you,” said Levy to Cohen, whom she believes to be not only clueless, but obstreperous for his unwillingness to adopt secular French group-think. Indignant now (or more likely pretending to be), she begins “Do you not understand that in France . . .”
But Cohen wasn’t having any more of these "lessons." He understood what this was about: Jews and Jew-hate. As such he did not fear to inform Levy, the
show’s host, and French television viewers at large, that the jig was up: he was on to them. Still, as a man of science, he tried reason:
“If a priest were to arrive here, or the pope—would you ask him to remove his cross or his head covering?” asks Cohen.
"קוראים לי כהן, אני מישראל, אני עם כיפה"
— סיון רהב מאיר Sivan Rahav Meir (@SivanRahav) December 7, 2022
הבנתי שהקטע הזה וויראלי למדיי בצרפת, הנה תרגום לעברית: פרופ' סיריל כהן הישראלי בא להתראיין בערוץ צרפתי כרופא, ונשאל מה פתאום הגיע לאולפן עם כיפה... pic.twitter.com/6v0YM7ZnS5
“The truth is, said the show's host, "that if the pope were to arrive at my morning show, we would leave it,” he said, laughing, and scratching his head, a gesture meant to be impish, charming, and human. Fodder for his viewers. A bit of candy.
A gentleman to the end in this unwitting comedy of manners, Cohen notes that it was never his intention to cause offense. The wearing of a skullcap, he said, was not meant to “insult any of your viewers.”
Because, duh. It wasn't. Cohen hadn't done anything weird or offensive. He hadn't done anything wrong He had only exercised his freedom of religion. Something he had come to expect and appreciate as an Israeli citizen.
Not only did Cohen do nothing wrong, he did everything right. He is a hero: zealous to serve his God, and unafraid to call out vain idiots like Elisabeth Levy.
We may never know whether Levy colluded with the host of this show to produce this very public, antisemitic ambush of an eminent scientist. But someone ought to tell her (probably more than once, slowly) that in the Jewish scheme of things, Cohen trumps Levy.
Every. Single. Time.
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