Paris, 15 October 2010
In a letter to Air France-KLM President Director-General, Jean-Cyril Spinetta, the Simon Wiesenthal Centre's Director for International Relations, Dr. Shimon Samuels, explained that "one of our many members who fly frequently on your airlines, has brought to our attention the June-September 2010 Flyer Menu of your company subsidiary, Transavia."
-Paris Match: 'Rachida Dati – Une Nouvelle Vie' ('Rachida Dati – a New Life', the Minister playing with her newborn baby).
-Tele 7: '8 Croisières en Méditerranée à Gagner' ('8 Cruises in the Mediterranean to be Won,' featuring a girl dressed as a sailor).
- Le Point (13 May 2010, N°1965): 'Gaza, Shoah, Juifs de France – La Charge de Debray contre Israël' ('Gaza, Shoah, Jews of France – Debray’s Accusation against Israel' displaying the Israel flag.)"
Samuels stressed that,"Transavia’s menu may carry the 'Imprim Vert' and PEFC symbols of environmentally correct recycled paper, but its choice of a magazine cover, targetting Israel, the Jews of France and the Holocaust, is an affront to your Jewish passengers."
The Centre pointed out to Air France-KLM that,"as your Transavia affiliate services principally North African destinations, this provocation damages our Centre’s work to mitigate delicate tensions between the Maghrebi and Jewish communities in Europe," adding, "we urge you to investigate this matter, take disciplinary measures and to publicly apologize to the Jewish public."
"Polemics belong on magazine front covers in news kiosks, not on airline menus. Menus may be on recycled paper, but they should serve food, not feed hate," concluded Samuels.