Shana had never imagined one day leaving France, the country she is currently living in. “very attached”, “ [son] » country that she ” love “She had never imagined that one day she would follow in the footsteps of her older sister and brother, who went to live in Israel several years ago, a decision she had not made until now. “never understood”The 23-year-old Jewish girl, a law student in Paris, agrees to give her first name, not her last name. Since October 7, 2023, the date of the Hamas terrorist attack in Israel, “everything has changed”explains.
On the Uber app, her name is now Marie. Her parents forbid her to take the subway at night, call her constantly as soon as she sets foot outside, and demand text messages every hour to ensure her safety. “Even though nothing has ever happened to me”admits, since October 7, “anxiety and fear” took charge, “the rise of anti-Semitism, pro-Palestinian demonstrations, anti-Semitic speeches by certain politicians of La France insoumise [LFI] and all those who adhere to it” panic. The figures frighten her: a 300% increase in anti-Semitic acts in the first quarter of 2024 compared to the same period in 2023. “I am very psychologically stressed”He confesses. To the point of making aliyah, a Hebrew term for “ascent” to Israel. The departure for Tel Aviv is scheduled for November 6.
Like her, 1,660 French citizens of Jewish faith have decided to join the Jewish State between October 7, 2023 and August 31 (1,500 since October 1).Ahem January). This is 50% more than the previous year in the same period. An increase to put into perspective. In 2023, 1,100 departures were recorded, i.e. “a historically low figure, probably the lowest since the creation of the State of Israel [en 1948] »Underlines Emmanuel Sion, director of the Jewish Agency for Israel in France and French-speaking countries, the Israeli government agency responsible for “allow all those who wish to go to Israel”The number of alyas should be around 2,000 by 2024. “Therefore, there is no explosion of departures, we return to a normal average outside of the years in which exceptional dramatic events occur”The director continues. In 2015, 7,892 departures were recorded, following the attack from Hyper Cacher.
Despite everything, France is an exception in the world, especially in the West, which has recorded a global drop of 42% in the number of alyas since the beginning of 2024. “French Jews are not fleeing France because of the rise of anti-Semitism, they know that France is doing a lot for their safety. says Mr. Sion. October 7 and the following months were a trigger for those who already had this project in mind and France has always been the country with the largest number of aliyahs in the West.
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