Rabbi of Grand Synagogue Calls for Exodus of France’s Large Jewish Population Amid Rising Threats as Right Wing Party Supports Israel Against Violent Left Wing Threats: “There is No Future for Jews in France,” he said.
The Rabbi of Paris’s Great Synagogue, Moshe Sebbag, issued a stark warning on July 2, urging French Jews to leave the country due to rapidly escalating antisemitic violence. Speaking to the Jerusalem Post, he stated, “The safety and future of Jewish families in France are increasingly uncertain. I urge you to consider aliyah or relocation to safer environments.”
This plea comes in the wake of troubling developments in the French political landscape. The National Rally (RN), led by Marine Le Pen, achieved historic gains in the recent European elections, securing over 30% of the vote. This shift has been partly attributed to a significant number of French Jews supporting Le Pen, viewing her party as a bulwark against Islamist extremism, despite its controversial antisemitic past.
Serge Klarsfeld, the renowned Nazi hunter and a prominent French Jew, remarked, “The National Rally supports the Jews, supports the State of Israel. Between an antisemitic party and a pro-Jewish party, I’ll vote for the pro-Jewish one.”
The history of antisemitic violence in France is long and harrowing. Since October 7, following the Hamas-led attacks on Israel, France has seen massive demonstrations that often turned threatening for Jews. The year began with a 300% rise in antisemitic incidents, including the shocking rape of a Jewish girl by three teenagers who are now facing charges aggravated by antisemitic motives.
Marine Le Pen’s National Rally, traditionally known for its antisemitic roots, has attempted to rebrand itself under her leadership. Le Pen expelled her father, Jean-Marie Le Pen, from the party in 2015 to distance the RN from his Holocaust-denying rhetoric. Nonetheless, antisemitic sentiments remain prevalent among some of her supporters.
In contrast, the far-left France Unbowed party, led by Jean-Luc Mélenchon, has been criticized for its stance on Israel. Mélenchon’s condemnation of Israeli actions and his inflammatory remarks about Jewish politicians have further alienated French Jews, pushing some towards the far-right RN. Mélenchon accused Yaël Braun-Pivet, the Jewish president of the National Assembly, of “camping out in Tel Aviv to encourage the massacre,” and described Élisabeth Borne, the former French prime minister and daughter of a Holocaust survivor, as expressing “a foreign point of view.”
This volatile political environment has created a dilemma for French Jews. Voting for a party with a historical association with antisemitism out of fear of the far-left’s stance on Israel is a bitter pill to swallow. Yet, prominent Jewish figures like Klarsfeld have reluctantly indicated a preference for the RN over Mélenchon’s party, given the current circumstances.
The Rabbi’s call reflects a growing sense of urgency and fear within the Jewish community in France. As the country grapples with political polarization and rising extremism, the future of its Jewish population remains uncertain. Alain Finkielkraut, a prominent public intellectual, summed up the sentiment, “The current situation is a heartbreak for French Jews. The choice we face is nothing short of a nightmare.”
The choice is simple in France as it is in the US. Jews who understand the forces and philosophies involved will vote for Marine Le Pen in France and Donald Trump in the US. They are not “far-right” They are nationalist and center-right. Both are Israel supporters. The choice is easy and not a nightmare in the least. Vote for friends and not enemies.