Paris Grande Synagogue treasurer: ‘French Jews must stay in France’ - interview

French Jews should stay in France, and young Jews should not emigrate from the Republic, Paris Grande Synagogue treasurer William Levy told The Jerusalem Post on Tuesday amid rising calls for Aliyah.

"French Jews must stay in France, because above all we are French,” said Levy

Levys children were staying in France, but some of his grandchildren were making Aliyah, a decision he didn’t agree with but said it was theirs to make. 

"Stay in France,” Levy advised young Jews considering their path in life.

While many Jews in Paris had expressed concerns to The Post about rising levels of antisemitism, Levy explained that many of the fears around the phenomenon were exaggerated. He said that he had never encountered antisemitism himself.

“I’m not very anxious about antisemitism,” said Levy.

Antisemitism was a reality that some had to live with in France. Sometimes there were tensions between the millions of Muslims and hundreds of thousands of Jews in the country, but “we live together.”

Unlike the rabbi, Levy remains optimistic

Levy doubted that the political situation in France could lead to greater antisemitism. As citizens awaited the results of coalition building after the second round of parliamentary elections on July 7.

People had voted for the extreme right and extreme left, and while Levy said that the far left was worse for the Jews, ultimately the new government would still be subject to the European Union’s rules. According to Levy, any potential political antisemitism would be reigned in by the EU.

The interview with Levy came following the controversy that arose from the Post’s conversation with the synagogue’s rabbi, who following the French elections had made pessimistic remarks about the future of Jews in France.