PARIS—Jewish community leaders in France voiced concern about rising antisemitism in the country as they welcomed President Emmanuel Macron at an event at the Paris Great Synagogue to mark Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year which will begin Sunday at sundown.
It is the first time that a sitting President attends the secular ceremony. Until now it was the Prime Minister who was present. France has a strict separation between state and religion, referred to as “laicite” (secularity). For the same reason, Macron did not give a speech at the event.
“Our rabbis note the resurgence of anti-Semitic acts. They refuse to attribute the paternity to imbalances,” said Joel Mergui, the president of the Consistoire that provides religious services to French Jews. He also deplored “the dangers and ravages of anti-Jewish speech” on social networks.
Mergui said the Jewish community should not be “collateral damage” in the secular fight against Islamism.
He claimed: “After having been for a long time the European country with the greatest Jewish immigration, France has today become the country with the largest Jewish emigration in the world.”
The Jewish leaders, including France’s Chief Rabbi Haim Korsia, also expressed concerns about the rise of populism and racism in Europe. “The year 2017-2018 was marked by the murders of Mireille Knoll and Sarah Halimi. In both cases, the aggravating circumstance of anti-Semitism was retained,’’ Rabbi Korsia recalled.
Mergui said that ritual slaughter, circumcision and vacation on religious holidays should “no longer be seen as concessions at the margins of the law… but obvious freedoms.”
Mergui invited the President to “accompany” the “projects” of the Jewish community, including by providing support for the future European Center of Judaism scheduled to open in 2019 west of Paris.
Emmanuel Macron received several jars of honey, synonymous of sweet delicacies for the Jewish New Year. According to Joel Mergui, the President would visit “soon” Israel.