Anti-Semitism, terrorism shake European Jews

MILAN — The killing of four French Jews at a kosher market in last week’s terror attacks by Islamic extremists in Paris has deepened the fears among European Jewish communities shaken by rising anti-Semitism and feeling vulnerable due to poor security and a large number of potential soft targets.

In the wake of the attacks, which followed deadly strikes on a Belgian Jewish Museum and a Jewish school in southwestern France, Israeli leaders have called on European Jews to emigrate to the Jewish state. But European Jews are deeply ambivalent about leaving, and their community leaders, along with top politicians, have urged people to stay in their homelands.

“The European Jewry is the oldest European minority and we have our experience of surviving under all possible circumstances,” Moshe Kantor, president of the European Jewish Congress, told the Associated Press. “We will not give up our motherland, which is called Europe. We will not stop the history of European Jewry, that is for sure.”

Kantor called for increased security at Jewish sites, concerted action against anti-Semitism across the continent and better co-ordination of intelligence forces against religious extremism. But he acknowledged that if any Jewish European does not feel safe, “I say you should leave in this case.”

Many French Jews already are. Last year, 7,000 emigrated to Israel as anti-Semitism spiked across France, fed by tensions with the country’s large Arab population after the outbreak of Israel’s war against Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip. That was double the previous year, making France the No. 1 source of immigration to Israel.

Officials in Israel are expecting — and encouraging — a new influx following the Paris standoff. Since last week’s attacks, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has encouraged European Jews to move to the Jewish state.

Overall, immigration to Israel was up 88 per cent from Western Europe in 2014, with the arrival of 8,640 immigrants compared with 4,600 in 2013, with surges also from Italy, Belgium and Britain.