Following the La Grande Motte Synagogue attack, French Jews fear rising antisemitism amid political turmoil, expressing concerns for their future.
In the wake of the La Grande-Motte Synagogue attack and political turmoil, France Central Consistory vice president and Marseilles Consistory president Michel Cohen Tenoudji expressed concern to The Jerusalem Post about the future of French Jewry and fate of the French Republic.
After the August 24 arson terrorist attack on the Beth Yaacov synagogue in southern France, the Jewish community was shocked and outraged, said Cohen Tenoudji. The attack by the 33-year-old Algerian man, which wounded a police officer, amplified fears about rising antisemitism in the country.
“The Jews are beginning to lose hope for a future in France,” said Cohen Tenoudji. “Jewish life is rich and prosperous in France but everyone holds their breath wondering how much longer this will last.”
The Jewish leader, one of the Central Consistory’s vice presidents, referenced Jewish Community Protection Service (SPCJ) statistics which indicated that antisemitic incidents in the Republic had increased by 1000% in 2023 compared to the previous year.
The French Jewish community is vigilant in its protection of what Cohen Tenoudji described as a “serene” but “worried” Jewish life, with synagogues equipped with secure entrances, video and electronic surveillance, and the close collaboration of groups like SPCJ with law enforcement.
The government is investing a great deal of resources into protecting its Jewish citizens, according to Cohen Tenoudji, keeping watch and adapting according to security threats.
Yet the government itself has been in a state of turmoil since the second round of July elections, which saw the success of the left-wing New Popular Front coalition, which included Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s La France Insoumise (LFI). With the center and right-wing blocks almost having an equal share of the National Assembly’s seats, political deadlock continued last Monday as President Emmanuel Macron refused to accept NPF’s Prime ministerial candidate.
