How many nationalities do you have?
South African. Israeli. Italian. US. And Spanish.
Identity, what is it?
I am a wandering Jew. My country? The Book, the Bible and the other books: I am, above all, a reader.
Liberal and religious at the same time?
God does not love you if you do not choose him freely.
What do you know about your ancestors?
Josep Halevi, rabbi in Girona, in 1391 fled the massacre as far as Horowice, Moravia. The Halevi Horowitz, famous rabbinical dynasty, have lived in Poland for 500 years.
Sephardic, then!
I learned Spanish and got Spanish nationality: that day I cried! I am Spanish. Although I never eat Iberian ham.
How do you feel in Spain?
I already criticize Spain: I am Spanish!
Why do you admire Spain?
Spanish is a global language, Spanish culture is immense... And Spain is a great democracy in Europe.
With many imperfections.
You see? That's why I like you more than the French, so chauvinistic and centralist...
Spain is not centralist?
No way! Spain is a nation of nations, much to the chagrin of Spanish nationalists and Catalan separatists.
Centripetal and centrifugal at odds.
They share the same mistake: they believe that being a nation grants the right to independence.
How do you see Catalonia?
Richest and strongest autonomy in the world.
Are you a practicing Jew?
I am an orthodox Jew in my observance... and a liberal-minded human being.
Israel, confessional state: do you like it?
Modern Israel is a noble ideal. But I make their religious coercion ugly: there is no civil marriage, only religious... Every confessional State is violating religion.
Are the Islamic republics violating religion, then?
They betray religion! In addition to trampling on the very desirable liberal democracy.
Is imposing religion anti-religious?
Absolutely anti-religious. I quote Ratzinger: “We do not impose our faith. Faith can only develop in freedom”.
What should we do in Europe with the jihab, prohibit it or allow it?
Iranian women risk their lives against Iran's mandatory jihab. If we force women here not to wear jihab... we will incur the same abuse as the ayatollahs.
You convinced the European Court of Human Rights of something...
That we should allow the presence of crucifixes in Italian public schools.
How did you argue?
The secular State, an honorable tradition, is not neutral: it opts for irreligion. Another State may opt for religious symbols. In fact, many states have a cross on their flag. Should we delete it? No!
Are secularist and secular synonymous?
Secularist is the one who preaches that everyone be secular. It's like a religious confession.
Which states are the most religiously neutral?
In France or the United States, the State does not finance religious schools. In contrast, in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, the state funds all kinds of schools: secular, Protestant, Catholic, Jewish and Muslim. What seems more neutral to you?
If you were a Christian, would you be a Protestant or a Catholic?
Hard enough it is to be a Jew! "Jews are participants in God's salvation," declared the Vatican in 2015: that's worth it to me.
Is Europe of Christian matrix... or rather pagan?
Europe is a fusion of Athens (and the Enlightenment) and Jerusalem (and the Judeo-Christian).
What distinguishes Europe from the United States, religiously?
An American politician would never declare that he is not a believer: it would be political suicide. There is hypocrisy, of course! Despite everything, read the German Constitution: "The German people, aware of their responsibility before God and men"...
They tell me that you are studying in depth the trial of Jesus...
It is true: it is the most shocking trial in the history of the West. Yes, I will publish a book that will be explosive.
Does antisemitism endure in Europe?
Prejudices about Jews persist, such as that we are smart and rich. Hopefully!
The Barcelona mayor's office broke its old twinning with Tel Aviv...
That is anti-Semitism, given that Barcelona continues to be twinned with Dubai, Shanghai, Ningbo, Istanbul..., which are very poor models of democracy and pluralism.
What would you say to Holocaust deniers?
I hate those opinions, sure, but I will always defend the right of anyone to freely express them. I am Voltairian!
