French Jews who fear rising anti-Semitism in their homeland are increasingly considering moving to Quebec.
Luciano Del Negro, a spokesperson for Quebec’s Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, says his organization has recently seen a “marked increase” in the number of inquiries from French-Jewish citizens.
The CIJA is responding to the increasing number of calls and e-mails by providing expert advice on employment opportunities and the “incredibly complicated” immigration procedures, he says.
Del Negro says the main reason French Jews are looking to leave is safety. There have been an increasing number of anti-Semitic attacks in France, including January’s terrorist shooting at a kosher market in Paris.
“A mere stroll in the streets of Paris will give you that feeling of insecurity, particularly when you’re attending Jewish day school or your synagogue,” Del Negro told CTV News Channel on Sunday.
“Having armed policemen and soldiers with machine guns certainly heightens the sense of insecurity,” he added, referring to the stepped-up protection France deployed to protect Jewish sites after the attack on the Hyper Cacher market, which killed four Jews. It was committed by Amedy Coulibaly, an associate of Al-Qaeda jihadists Cherif and Said Kouachi, who killed 12 in a siege at the magazine Charlie Hebdo at the same time.
The number of anti-Semitic attacks recorded on French soil doubled from 423 in 2013 to 851 in 2014, according to a report from the France-based Jewish Community Security Service, which has tracked the issue for decades. That included more than 108 incidents of physical violence.
“Today, anti-Semitic threats in France include persistent bias, sectarian stereotypes, deep hatred, but especially jihadist terror,” according to the JCSS report. “Men and young children are killed for the sole reason that they are Jewish.”
Israel has long been a draw for French Jews. The number who immigrated from France doubled in 2014 to 7,000, making it the top source country, according to the Jewish Agency, a non-profit group that encourages Jews to move to Israel.
However, as Del Negro points out, not all French Jews see Israel as an option.
French-speaking Quebec is an attractive alternative, he says.
With files from The Associated Press
