The Jewish Community of France | Web Site |
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DemographyMore than half the Jews in France live in Paris and its suburbs (350,000), but there are other large communities in Marseilles (70,000), Lyons (25,000), Toulouse (23,000), Nice (20,000), Strasbourg (16,000), Grenoble (8,000), Metz, and Nancy (4,000). In addition there are a dozen communities, each with some 2,000 Jews, scattered through- out the country. Altogether there are approximately 230 Jewish communities in France. In the 1950s and 1960s, the Ashkenazi community of veteran French Jews and immigrants from eastern Europe underwent a major demographic transformation with the arrival of 300,000 Jews from North Africa, mainly from Morocco, Tunisia, and Egypt. As a result, the Sephardi Jews now comprise 60% of the French Jewish community. HistoryOn the eve of World War II, there were 300,000 Jews living in France. In 1940 the Germans invaded the country. In Paris and elsewhere in occupied France, French policemen actively ferreted out Jews in hiding. French Jewry thus suffered at the hands of both the Germans and the French. In the unoccupied zone, the Vichy government enthusiastically cooperated with the Germans. About 70,000 French Jews perished in the Holocaust. Between 1945 and 1948, about 80,000 Jews arrived from central and eastern Europe. In 1955, 10,000 Egyptian Jews settled in the country, and in the years from 1956 to 1963, a great wave of immigrants from the Maghreb arrived. CommunityThe political umbrella organization officially representing all the communities and organizations before the government is the Representative Council of French Jewry (CRIF), founded in 1944. The Consistoire Central is the body responsible for the religious affairs of the community. It also supervises the chief rabbinate and bet din, which enjoy national recognition. The United Jewish Social Foundation (FSJU) was founded in 1950 to centralize and supervise major social, cultural, and educational enterprises. All the major Zionist organizations are active, and there are several youth movements. Despite the variety of outlets for Jewish expression, only 40% of the community are registered members of synagogues or Jewish organizations. Statistics show an increase in aliya and tourism to Israel in recent years. Along with assimilation, there is also a noticeable religious revival, including a growing section of ultra-Orthodox, which has created tensions within the organized community. In recent years, and especially with the advent of the trial of the Vichy police commander of Lyons, Paul Touvier, France has been forced to confront its record of collaboration with the Germans, particularly its active assistance in rounding up the Jews of France and deporting them to the death camps. In 1995 President Jacques Chirac publicly apologized to the Jewish people on behalf of the republic. In 1996 reports in the media on the confiscation of hundreds of apartments and works of art from French Jews during the Holocaust led to the establishment of a government commission to investigate this matter. There have been several serious anti-Semitic incidents in France, including bombings and vandalism. Anti-Semitism is disseminated in regularly published newspapers and magazines, including those of Muslim fundamentalists. The strong electoral support for the extreme-right National Front, headed by Jean-Marie Le Pen, is a source of worry to the Jewish community. Culture and EducationIn Paris alone, there are more than 20 Jewish day schools, both elementary and high schools, as well as kindergartens and religious seminaries. Jewish schools are also to be found in Strasbourg, Nice, Toulouse, Marseilles, Bordeaux, Metz, and Aix-les-Bains. Most French universities offer courses in Judaic studies, including courses in Yiddish, Ladino, and Hebrew. The Mercaz Rashi, which contains the University Center for Jewish Studies, provides courses for academics and students. The Rabbinical Seminary ordains rabbis to serve in French-speaking countries. About 4% of the school-age children are enrolled in Jewish day schools. The Alliance Israelite Universelle supervises an international network of French-oriented schools in other countries. Every year there is a Jewish Book Week, a Jewish Music Week, an intellectual colloquium, and a variety of symposia and seminars on Jewish issues. Jewish dance and theater companies are also active. A lively Jewish press exists in France, featuring two weeklies and a number of monthly journals. Weekly Jewish programs are broadcast on both radio and television, and several local Jewish radio stations are on the air in Paris and in other major cities. Religious LifeThe major religious stream in France is the moderate Orthodox, which includes most Sephardi Jews and accounts for 48% of the Jewish community. It has dozens of synagogues and rabbis. The ultra-Orthodox stream (7%) has some 10 synagogues. Five percent are Reform or Liberal and are served by a number of synagogues and rabbis. In 1992 the first Conservative community was established in Paris. About 40% of French Jewry are religiously unaffiliated. Approximately 25% of French Jews observe kashrut and the number of kosher butchers, restaurants and shops in Paris and elsewhere is growing. IsraelFrance established diplomatic relations with Israel in 1949. During the 1950s, France was Israel’s major source of arms and participated in developing its nuclear program. In 1967 on the eve of the Six-Day War, France declared a total arms embargo on Israel. In addition to the embassy in Paris, there is a consulate general in Marseilles. Aliya : Since 1948, 34,000 French Jews have emigrated to Israel. SitesOld synagogues in Carpentras and Cavaillon are considered national monuments. There are old Jewish cemeteries in Landes and in Alsace. The Provence region also contains many historic synagogues and cemeteries. Paris has several Jewish libraries, among them the Medem Library, which is the largest Yiddish library in Europe, and the Centre de Documentation Juive Contemporaine. Paris is also the site of the Museum of Jewish Art and the Cluny Museum, which houses the Strauss-Rothschild Collection. The Memorial to the Unknown Jewish Martyr and the adjacent Holocaust documentation center were among the first institutions of this type. Corsica Jewish settlement dates back to the end of the 19th century. There are some 200 Jews in Corsica divided between Bastia and Ajaccio. The only synagogue is in Bastia. ContactRepresentative Council of Jewish Institutions in France
The European Jewish Congress
Embassy
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39 Rue de Broca