Unrest in France Raises Concerns for Jewish Community

Recent protests in France have led to heightened concerns for the Jewish community. Members have been advised to hide their Jewish identities and avoid gathering outside synagogues. Some communities canceled afternoon prayers due to safety fears as protest violence escalated.

Before the protests, many synagogues emailed their members to cancel Mincha, the Jewish afternoon prayer. Samuel Arrouas, a French Jew living between Paris and Israel, expressed his surprise at these warnings. It was his first time hearing such advice.

Mincha is known as the afternoon prayer service in Jewish tradition.

During demonstrations, which were accompanied by rioting and violence, Jews were urged not to wear symbols like kippahs or tzitzit. They were also discouraged from lingering outside synagogues after services. Arrouas shared his alarm after seeing masked protestors with Palestinian flags in Paris before leaving for Israel.

Approximately 550,000 people protested on October 17 against issues like rising fuel costs and public service deterioration. The protests turned violent, with rioters clashing with police, looting, and setting fires in cities like Paris and Marseille. France’s Interior Ministry reported about 2,400 arrests.

President Emmanuel Macron called for calm, labeling protesters’ demands as legitimate while condemning destructive acts. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez offered his resignation, which President Macron rejected.

Shannon Seban, of the Combat Antisemitism Movement, noted the troubling presence of Palestinian flags at these protests. Seban questioned the relevance of these symbols to domestic issues and linked the violence to rhetoric and antisemitic conspiracy theories online. The organization documented 1,384 antisemitic posts in two days alone.

Combat Antisemitism Movement aims to combat antisemitic rhetoric and actions globally.

In Marseille, Bruno Benjamin of CRIF described the damage to businesses and the fear in the Jewish community. Hundreds of shops were vandalized, and many faced potential layoffs due to the unrest’s impact. Benjamin stressed that this violence threatens livelihoods and social fabric.

France’s Jewish community security group, SPCJ, cautioned against assuming attacks on property were religiously targeted, although some Jewish-owned businesses were among those damaged.

The U.S. State Department currently advises travelers to exercise increased caution in France due to terrorism and unrest.

Benjamin noted that rising insecurity and antisemitism have left some Jews considering relocation, though many remain determined to stay. He emphasized the need to combat antisemitism and ensure Jews can live safely and with dignity in France.

Seban criticized political climates that fuel violence, specifically mentioning France’s far-left groups as bearing responsibility for the current tensions.