Newsletter
Newsletter Support JNS

Hate crimes targeting Jews in France have surged in 2018

French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe reveals that the number of documented hate crimes against Jews in the first nine months of 2018 has increased by more than 69 percent.

French Israelis light memorial candles as they gather at Paris Square in Jerusalem in a demonstration against anti-Semitism in France following the murder of Mireille Knoll, an 85-year-old Jewish woman in Paris, March 28, 2018. Photo by Hadas Parush/Flash90.
French Israelis light memorial candles as they gather at Paris Square in Jerusalem in a demonstration against anti-Semitism in France following the murder of Mireille Knoll, an 85-year-old Jewish woman in Paris, March 28, 2018. Photo by Hadas Parush/Flash90.

French Jews are facing a massive uptick in anti-Semitic attacks, with French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe revealing that the number of documented hate crimes targeting Jews increased by more than 69 percent in the first nine months of 2018.

The figures were published by Philippe on Facebook on Thursday, the same day he commemorated the Kristallnacht pogroms of 1938.

“Every assault perpetrated against one of our fellow citizens because they are Jewish resonates like a new Kristallnacht,” he wrote.

The CRIF umbrella group of French Jewish communities replied that the “most violent incidents … reflect the perseverance of anti-Semitism and its development into a daily occurrence.”

“At least one student was injured by this incident, which is now under an investigation that will examine among other things whether individuals were targeted based on their Jewish faith,” the private D.C. school said.
“Our office’s objection is to the court’s offer of probation, as we believe this case warrants a prison sentence,” Tom Dunlevy, supervising senior deputy district attorney for Ventura County, told JNS.
“Let me be clear,” Rep. Grace Meng said at a rally in New York City. “Justifying hate, vandalism or violence by pointing to the actions of a foreign government is scapegoating, and it is wrong.”
A deadline in the law has yet to pass, but Rabbi Josh Joseph, of the Orthodox Union, told JNS that “we expect the mayor and the NYPD to work in close coordination with the community to ensure that the intent of this legislation is fully upheld.”
Online critics accused the bestselling author, who is a supporter of the BDS movement, of “normalizing” Israelis over a brief reference in her book, Taipei Story.
The president’s call for a national Shabbat “celebrates our religion and it refocuses on our job to become a light unto the nations,” Rabbi Steven Burg of Aish told JNS.