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Less than a quarter of French Jews feel safe

Nearly half of European Jews and a third of North American Jews experienced antisemitism in the past year.

The Jewish Westhoffen cemetery near Strasbourg, eastern France, where 107 graves were found vandalized with swastikas and antisemitic inscriptions, Dec. 4, 2019. Photo by Patrick Hertzog/AFP via Getty Images.
The Jewish Westhoffen cemetery near Strasbourg, eastern France, where 107 graves were found vandalized with swastikas and antisemitic inscriptions, Dec. 4, 2019. Photo by Patrick Hertzog/AFP via Getty Images.

More than three-quarters of French Jews do not feel safe in their country, while nearly half of European Jews and a third of North American Jews experienced antisemitism in the past year, a survey released on Sunday found.

Only 22% of French Jews feel safe as Jews in their country, according to the quasi-governmental Jewish Agency for Israel’s “One People Report.”

Forty-three percent of European Jews and 35% of North American Jews surveyed said they experienced antisemitism personally or within their family in the past year.

About 450,000 Jews live in France, which is home to the largest Jewish community in Europe, and the third biggest in the world after Israel and the United States.

Sixty-nine percent of Jews worldwide and 79% of Jews in Israel define antisemitism as the central challenge facing Jewish communities today, the survey found.

The host society’s perception of Israel was cited by nearly half of those surveyed as their second greatest concern.

At the same time, nearly three-quarters of Jewish young adults worldwide believe they can positively influence the future of their community despite the burst of antisemitism around the world, the findings showed.

Seventy-four percent of Jewish young adults worldwide and two-thirds of young adults in Israel believe they can positively influence their community’s future.

The survey’s findings highlighted the concern over personal security in Jewish communities in Europe following surging levels of antisemitism, as well as a sense of mutual responsibility between world Jewry and Israel.

Fifty-six percent of Jews worldwide consider it important to be connected to the Jewish community around them; 55% feel that their community provides a strong and supportive environment; 88% see Israel as the homeland of the Jewish people; 85% agree that the existence of the State of Israel is essential for the flourishing of the Jewish people; and 84% of Jews in Israel and 75% of Jews worldwide agree that Israel has a responsibility toward global Jewish communities.

“The report … paints a troubling picture of rising antisemitism and a growing erosion of the sense of security among world Jewry,” said Israeli President Isaac Herzog, who received the report last week. “Precisely at this time, we must strengthen mutual responsibility in Israel and across the Jewish world and stand together as one people. The bond between the State of Israel and world Jewry is a central pillar of our security and our shared future.”

Maj. Gen. (res.) Doron Almog, chairman of the executive of the Jewish Agency, said, “As tensions rise around us, the Jewish people draw strength from their ability to hold one another up. This is the strength of the Jewish people.”

The global survey was conducted between Sept. 25 and Oct. 10, 2025, by the Ipsos research institute, among a representative sample of 1,428 Jewish respondents in Israel and 18 countries across North America, Europe, Australia and South America.

Etgar Lefkovits, an award-winning international journalist, is an Israel correspondent and a feature news writer for JNS. A native of Chicago, he has two decades of experience in journalism, having served as Jerusalem correspondent in one of the world’s most demanding positions. He is currently based in Tel Aviv.
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