Consequence of the increase in anti-Semitism in France since October 7 or underlying trend? Thirty-two additional classes were opened in Jewish schools at the beginning of the school year, compared to twenty-two in 2023 and 2022, according to the United Jewish Social Fund (FSJU), which coordinates this network of contract and non-contract establishments. with the State.
The association Create your school, which supports and promotes the creation of establishments outside the contract every year, also points out a “sudden progression” Jewish school creations for this year. Of one hundred and sixteen openings this fall, ten are part of the Jewish denominational network. As of 2023, only one had been released.
Should we see discontent among Jewish families about public education? The association Create your school is convinced of this: “The geopolitical situation and the strong progression of anti-Semitic acts and climate in France have forced families with little or no observance to enter Jewish denominational establishments for security reasons”writes in the brochure listing non-contract school openings this school year.
protective reflex
For Patrick Petit-Ohayon, director of school action at FSJU, there is no doubt either: “The aftermath of October 7 and the resulting rise in anti-Semitism reinforces a pre-existing movement toward Jewish schools. » The events he observes support this conviction. “More and more students arrive during the cycle. Previously, students entered Jewish schools during crucial times of schooling, in CP or 6.my. Some families now enroll their children in CM1 or CM2”he emphasizes, highlighting a growth in primary schools within the network. Twenty of the thirty-two new classes for this school year open in first grade. “The students join us from the nursery without going through the “public” box, while the families opted until then by proximity and therefore by public school »says the manager.
Patrick Petit-Ohayon estimates the number of additional students this year in Jewish schools at six hundred. These establishments continue to grow: they will welcome 35,528 students in 2023, that is, 11% more in ten years and 48% more than in 2000, according to figures from the FSJU. Almost 17% of these students are educated in non-contractual classes, and contracts with the State are made by class and not by establishment.
Beyond a confessional perspective, the Jewish school becomes a reflection of protection for certain families. For Fabien (who prefers to remain anonymous), this option was unthinkable a year ago. With a mother who is a teacher in the public, this father of two children, “not particularly practicing”who lives in Aix-en-Provence (Bouches-du-Rhône), could not imagine any other option for her two children than the local school, then the secondary school and the local baccalaureate.
You have 45.95% of this article left to read. The rest is reserved for subscribers.
