Reassure and convince. From Wednesday 22 to Thursday 23 January, Emmanuel Macron must make his first trip to Israel and the Palestinian Territories as President of the French Republic, culminating in the commemoration of the 75e anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp, Thursday at the Yad Vashem memorial. He will have to face the distrust of French Jews, fueled by the resurgence of anti-Semitic acts in France.
According to a study by the IFOP polling institute, carried out for the Foundation for Political Innovation (Fondapol) and the American Jewish Committee (AJC), published on January 20, more than a third (34%) of French people denomination or Jewish culture today say they feel threatened daily because of their religious affiliation. Worse, seven in ten report having been victims of at least one anti-Semitic act in their lifetime, mainly verbal assault (64%) and insults (48%), but also physical violence (23%). “Anti-Semitism in France cannot be reduced to a few sordid news”, says the study.
In 2018, 2,415 French emigrated to Israel
In fact, France has been confronted for several years with a sharp rise in anti-Semitism. In 2018, the latest available statistic, 541 anti-Semitic acts were identified in France, which represents a jump of 73% compared to the previous year. December 3, 2019, 107 graves were still desecrated and covered with swastikas in the Jewish cemetery of Westhoffen (Bas-Rhin). ” Anti-Semitism is a crime and we will fight it (…) until our dead can sleep in peace ”, then reacted Emmanuel Macron, assuring that “The Jews are and make France”.
Despite these declarations, a form of distrust has taken hold. according to another poll IFOP, produced for i24News and ELNET France, also published on Monday, two thirds of Israelis deem France’s measures to combat anti-Semitism ineffective. “The majority of Israelis are worried about the situation of Jews in France: 60% of them believe that French people of Jewish religion or culture are not safe in France “Says the study. In 2018, 2,415 French emigrated to Israel, a figure down from the 2015 record when 8,000 departures had been counted, but which shows that “alya” remains current for a significant number of families.
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