The unprecedented Hamas attack on October 7, 2023 in Israel, which left 1,200 dead and thousands injured, created immense trauma for the Jewish community around the world, sometimes challenging the sense of security even in Israel. The rise of anti-Semitism in several countries, combined with uninhibited acts and pro-Palestinian protests make us fear a return to the dark moments of history. For some, the tragic date of October 7 marked a turning point: nothing will ever be like before, Jews are threatened wherever they go. We heard from people of the Jewish faith, from France and Israel, who shared their fears for the future, but also their incredible resilience and hopes.
A point of no return
Jeremy, 39, lived many years in Israel before returning to Paris, but since October 7, everything has changed: he dreams of only one thing, returning to the Holy Land, because paradoxically, he no longer feels safe in France at all. He says he adopted a completely different lifestyle, hiding his Jewishness.
"It is true that since the beginning of the war in Israel and the flood of anti-Semitic acts in Europe, we have changed our habits, we are much more discreet. We order much less online and we are often forced to change our names on applications. When I take a taxi to go to a kosher restaurant, I ask him to stop two streets before so that he does not suspect anything. Personally, I am very pessimistic about the future of Jews in the diaspora, I think the danger will be greater and greater unless a major policy change, but I don't believe," Jérémy told Itonnews, adding "for me, the solution is to live in Israel, because this is our country."
According to the Crif, anti-Semitic acts in France jumped 1000% after October 7.
For 29-year-old Rose, in Israel for the past 10 years, "our overall perception of security has changed because it feels like the war has been exported and affects the Jewish community as a whole". The young woman is affirmative on the fact that "one feels more in danger abroad than in Israel while the threat is on our territory."
"I am not worried about the Jews in Israel, we will get through it, we have one of the best armies in the world, and for daily security, the Israelis are ready to intervene at any time. On the other hand, I think that in the long term it will be impossible for Jews to live abroad, because the act is legitimized against the background of anti-Semitism and the term ‘never again’ seems trivialized today,” Rose told Itonnews, lamenting that “the tensions and attacks against the Jews are increasing and this forces them to hide their name, their magen David or their kippa and to remove the mezouzot".
Resist and remain optimistic despite the rise in anti-Semitism
Ben, a young thirty-something who lives in Paris, is much more optimistic, saying that recent events "can bring out an additional pride of being Jewish, in France as elsewhere."
"The Jewish community continues to feed the fantasies and hatred of other peoples. There is nothing that gives Jews more strength than the hatred they suffer. Life must go on, we must be careful not to get depressed and to bring back the hostages. The Jews have been defending themselves for 80 years, we must never stop," Ben told Itonnews.
"There will probably be other acts of barbarism towards the Jews, unfortunately, but since the creation of the State of Israel, the Jews have integrated the notion of defense. There is no doubt that the 'never again' will take more the form of a big war against Israel than anything else. Israel would have to fall if history was to repeat itself tragically,' said the young man.
Joanna, 31, from Paris shares the same opinion: diaspora Jews have no choice but to fight and alyah in Israel must not be equivalent to "the timely solution".
"I am not afraid for the future of the Jews in France because we are a powerful community, they can try to make us leave but we will always stay there, it will not change. We don’t have to all move to Israel to live in safety because today the risk is everywhere," she says.
In Israel, the daily war for 9 months and the expectation of the return of the hostages has created a feeling of guilt among the population. Psychologist Carinne Leibovici explains that her patients "are disappointed and in a form of underlying depression" regarding the situation.
"They are wondering “how can we allow ourselves to say that things are going well when there are still hostages and our soldiers are dying on a daily basis?” and “how can we take back a life while forgetting what is happening in Israel and in the world?” However, after the shock and terror, the months that passed gave way to a sense of belonging to the country that was strengthened, the desire to fight and to continue to live happily in spite of the ambient darkness. The need to relate to origins and religion (for some) is present,” Carinne tells Itonnews.
The perplexity of the soldiers of the Israeli army
Carinne also mentions a phenomenon unknown : the perplexity of the army about the results on the ground. "Some of my patient soldiers who fought in Gaza wonder if it ultimately served any purpose. Their motivation has diminished considerably and they are disappointed with the lack of organization and consideration from the leaders. They have the impression of "having given a lot of their time to the country without seeing the results and without being able to resume a normal life", she concludes.
According to a survey carried out by Ifop, 76% of French people believe that anti-Semitism is a "widespread phenomenon", 57% explain it by the "rejection and hatred of Israel".
Caroline Haïat
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