Source of publication: The Institute of the Middle East.

France is currently home to Europe's largest Jewish community, estimated at 600,000 individuals in 2018. Notably, this figure significantly exceeds any previously recorded peak for the Jewish population in this Western European nation. In 1970, the French Jewish population was estimated at 530,000, and has steadily declined since: to 519,000 in 2002, and 478,000 in 2013. This downward trend is easily explained by the continuous emigration of Jews from France, which surpasses natural growth. For instance, official 2015 data indicates that 210,000 French repatriates resided in Israel (including their Israeli-born children holding French citizenship), 78,000 of whom repatriated between 1972 and 2013. Additionally, a smaller but notable wave of emigration directed French Jews to Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom. Assimilation processes also contribute to the population decline, particularly among French Jews of European origin. Conversely, Jews of North African descent, who currently constitute the majority of the French Jewish population, largely maintain a stable national and religious identity.

It appears that the unexpected surge in the estimated Jewish population in France compared to 2013 can only be attributed to a heightened sense of national identity among a segment of seemingly fully assimilated French Jews. Historically, these individuals did not identify with organized Jewish communities, upon whose membership figures population estimates are typically based. This resurgence of Jewish identity among assimilated individuals was likely triggered by the sharp rise in aggressive antisemitism observed in France in recent years. It must be emphasized that the primary, if not exclusive, segment of the French population driving contemporary aggressive antisemitism is the country's sizeable Muslim community, comprised of immigrants and their descendants. According to a 2017 estimate by the French National Institute for Demographic Studies, this community numbers 8.4 million (including the 256,000 residents of the French overseas department of Mayotte, where Muslims constitute the vast majority), representing 12.5% of the total French population. Consequently, Muslims form the demographic majority in numerous urban districts across France.

Islamic antisemitism has also driven a significant increase in repatriation from France to Israel. In the early 2000s, repatriation from France stood at approximately 2,000 individuals annually. This figure more than doubled following the 2012 terrorist attack on a Jewish school in Toulouse by an Islamic extremist, which claimed the lives of three children and a teacher. However, in the past few years, repatriation figures from France have declined once more, with at least 10% of these repatriates leaving Israel to return to France within their first three years.

Against this backdrop, Israel's Minister of Education Naftali Bennett (leader of the religious-zionist "The Jewish Home" party), who also serves as the Minister of Diaspora Affairs, presented the ministry's activities and his strategic vision for relations between the State of Israel and the Diaspora at Sunday's weekly government meeting. He focused his address on French Jewry, stating to cabinet members: "There is a historic failure by all Israeli governments in recent years regarding repatriation from France. There are 200,000 Jews in France who wish to repatriate here, but our state systems are simply unprepared. These are Zionistic, values-driven individuals who love Israel and Eretz Yisrael, and it is our moral obligation to step up and assist them. Utilizing the resources at my disposal, I initiated an informal education program two weeks ago for French repatriates to facilitate their integration into the Israeli school system; however, this is insufficient, and a coordinated government-wide effort is required."

The figure of 200,000 cited by Minister Naftali Bennett is derived from recent public opinion polls conducted among French Jews. Indeed, a substantial portion of the community is considering emigration due to the aforementioned factors, with repatriation to Israel being a theoretically preferred, though by no means exclusive, destination. Emigration is primarily hindered by concerns over finding suitable employment in Israel, alongside hopes that conditions in France may improve. Discussions of a "historic failure" regarding the repatriation of French Jews are further fueled by historical precedents. The core of contemporary French Jewry consists of Algerian immigrants and their descendants. At the turn of the 1960s, while the vast majority of Jews from other Maghreb nations—Morocco, Tunisia, and neighboring Libya—repatriated to Israel, most Algerian Jews chose to emigrate to France, with only a small minority opting for Israel. At that time, a similar narrative of a "missed historical opportunity" emerged in Israel.

Following the cabinet meeting, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu instructed Minister Naftali Bennett to collaborate with the National Economic Council to draft a comprehensive master plan to encourage the repatriation of French Jews. This plan is to be submitted to the ministerial committee on integration and repatriation, chaired by the Prime Minister himself. Other committee members will include Minister of Finance Moshe Kahlon (leader of the Kulanu party), Minister of Tourism Yariv Levin (Likud), Minister of Environmental Protection Ze'ev Elkin (Likud, the sole Soviet-born minister remaining in the government following the withdrawal of the Yisrael Beiteinu party from the coalition), alongside Avi Simhon, Chairman of the National Economic Council, and Yoav Horovitz, Chief of Staff to the Prime Minister.

In conclusion, the initiative put forward by the leader of "The Jewish Home" regarding French Jews is largely driven by electoral considerations ahead of the Knesset elections, which are anticipated to take place in just over six months. Naftali Bennett seemingly disregards repatriates from post-Soviet states, despite Russia and Ukraine ranking first and second, respectively, in terms of repatriation numbers. He views this demographic as potential voters for the "Yisrael Beiteinu" party, led by former Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman, although the majority of post-Soviet immigrants do not vote for them. There is not a single Soviet-born member in the "The Jewish Home" parliamentary faction, nor are there any Israeli-born members of Soviet descent, despite a significant presence of religious-Zionist supporters within this demographic. As the son of American immigrants, Minister Naftali Bennett demonstratively prioritizes repatriates from Western nations, and his highly publicized initiative to encourage French Jewish repatriation aligns closely with this policy framework.

Unsurprisingly, immediately following the cabinet meeting, Minister Naftali Bennett hastened to post on his Twitter page: "Today at the government meeting, I raised the issue of the State of Israel's 'historic failure' regarding the repatriation of French Jews. Because this area was neglected (a reference to the fact that former Minister of Aliyah and Integration Sofa Landver and former Chairman of the Jewish Agency Natan Sharansky, both Soviet-born, focused primarily on promoting repatriation from post-Soviet states – V.Ch.), there has been a decline in repatriates arriving in Israel (from France – V.Ch.), despite the (unfavorable – V.Ch.) situation in France. At my request, the Prime Minister has instructed me to draft a program for the repatriation of French Jews, in addition to the education program (for French repatriates – V.Ch.) already underway, and I am commencing work immediately."