French TV Host Asks Israeli Professor ‘Why Are You Wearing Religious Symbol (Kippa) In Studio?’

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — Professor Cyrille Cohen, the head of the Laboratory of Immunotherapy and the Vice Dean of Bar Ilan University’s Life Sciences Faculty, came on French daytime television to discuss medicine, wearing a kippa as he does daily. The kippa apparently irked the show’s host, who before the discussion concerning COVID-19 developed turned to Cohen and challenged him:: “I will ask a question because a lot of people are asking and it has nothing to do with medicine, a lot of people are asking why the professor is wearing a religious symbol in the studio?”

The professor, confused by the question, replied, “Why? Because I wear it every day.”

At this point another panelist joined the discussion, “I also said something to him when I went to the coffee machine,” she points out.

“Full disclosure, I wear it every day, I didn’t wear it specifically for your program,” Cohen continued.

The second panelist decided to explain the sensitivities, stating, “You understand, no? That for us secularism is discretion, it has nothing against religion, you just keep religion to yourself.”

The professor interjected: “My name is Cohen, why would you want me to keep my religion to myself, I’m from Israel!”

To which the panelist replies: “But there are people who are named Cohen who don’t wear a Kipa, so that’s not the issue.”

At this point, Cohen feels the need to point out what he believes is a double standard: “And if a priest would come on, or the Pope, would you ask him to remove his cross or his head covering?” He ends the discussion by assuring that his head covering is “not meant in any way to offend the viewers.”