BRIC Team reports: France also has Europe's largest Jewish community.GLOBAL RISE IN ANTISEMITISM LEAVES JEWISH COMMUNITY ISOLATED, RABBI SAYS WORLD AT 'A TIPPING POINT'"The number of events is extremely high — not because the French government does not fight it, but because there is this base in which antisemitism is growing," he said, due to foreign influence, which he claimed comes from Iran, Russia, Turkey and Qatar.While he says those state actors are fueling the fire of Jew-hatred from the outside, certain French political actors exploit antisemitism for the purpose of getting more votes. foremost among them is the far-left party La France Insoumise (LFI)."The way [LFI leader] Jean-Luc Mélenchon speaks in front of a crowd reminds me of Hitler.
The way he uses the idea of uniting against one enemy by speaking of Israel is similar to the way Hitler used to speak about the Jews," Zarka said.In February, the Human Rights League criticized Mélenchon after he mocked the pronunciation of Jewish names, including that of MEP Raphaël Glucksmann.Mélenchon previously wrote on his blog that "antisemitism remains residual in France," remarks critics said downplayed a surge in Jew-hatred following Hamas’s Oct. that is sinking into the mind of the Jewish community," Zarka said."Recent incidents include the partial cutting down on Jan. 12 in Lyon of a tree planted in memory of Ilan Halimi, who was abducted and murdered in a 2006 antisemitic attack.
Background
9, a young boy wearing a kippah was assaulted by a group of five individuals, one of whom allegedly held a knife to his throat. Ten days later, acid was sprayed in two dining rooms of a kosher restaurant in Paris’s 17th arrondissement. 15, racist and antisemitic graffiti targeted three high schools in the Montpellier metropolitan area.In March, two brothers were arrested in connection with what authorities described as a "deadly and antisemitic" plot after police discovered a semi-automatic weapon, a bottle of hydrochloric acid and an Islamic State flag in their vehicle.Rabbi Elie Lemmel was targeted in two antisemitic attacks, including last June in Deauville, where he was punched in the stomach.
Key facts
- foremost among them is the far-left party La France Insoumise (LFI)."The way [LFI leader] Jean-Luc Mélenchon speaks in front of a crowd reminds me of Hitler.
- that is sinking into the mind of the Jewish community," Zarka said."Recent incidents include the partial cutting down on Jan.
- 12 in Lyon of a tree planted in memory of Ilan Halimi, who was abducted and murdered in a 2006 antisemitic attack.
What this means
Days later, he was attacked again in Neuilly-sur-Seine while sitting at a café terrace, when a Palestinian from Gaza struck him with a chair.Lemmel told Fox News Digital he had almost never faced aggression before, but believes the post-Oct. 7 conflict has intensified tensions. He said he understands those who choose to be more discreet and would never judge them."You have to be vigilant," he said.
"Unfortunately, some people see a kippah and it bothers them. Those who want to do harm will always find reasons."If we start hiding, it is the beginning of the end," he added. "I have always worn a kippah, and that is why I continue to wear it."AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER SUSPENDED AFTER ‘FREE PALESTINE’ BROADCAST TO ISRAELI PILOTSYonathan Arfi, president of the Conseil Représentatif des Institutions juives de France (CRIF), said some Jewish families now forgo displaying mezuzahs or use different names on mobile apps to avoid being identified."On the one hand, there is a rise in antisemitism that leads to precautionary behavior," Arfi told Fox News Digital.
