confronted with anti-Semitism, five young Jews testify of their daily life in France

"I'm Jewish, so what?"Loose Elsa Moszer, an 18-year-old high school student. She does not understand how he is "still possible to hear anti-Semitic insults" in 2019, in reference to those wiped out by the philosopher Alain Finkielkraut, Saturday, February 16th. And the case is not isolated: trees around the tomb of Ilan Halimi were sawed, swastikas drawn on mailboxes where the face of Simone Veil, former minister survivor of the death camps. .. These anti-Semitic acts increased by 74% in France in 2018, according to Interior Minister Christophe Castaner.

How do you live today when you are young and Jewish in France? To find out, franceinfo has gathered the testimony of several people, aged 18 to 26 years. These young men and women told us how they lived their religion or culture, or simply how they feel in France.

In the practice of religion, everyone displays different sensibilities. "I was born in", says Axel Podembski, an 18-year-old high school student. From a family he describes as "rather open", he badures that he has always been able "to discuss everything with his parents, even when they had disagreements on the religious level. The fact of not going out on Friday night was a debate "He adds with a smile. According to the principles of the Jewish religion, that night you have to stay at home. For Elsa Moszer, just a major, is a "opportunity to meet up with family."

For Shirel Shimoumy, 20, who works in a communications company, the situation was more complicated: "I was raised in the idea that we should not show that we are Jewish"says the girl who grew up in Sarcelles (Val-d'Oise), in a suburb of Paris where the Jewish community is important. Educated in a Jewish school throughout her childhood, she was not "never come out of his cocoon" before joining the new Sorbonne in Paris two years ago.

She says she was shocked when she first became an antisemitic verbal badault while she was in college. She was leaving Jewish school with a friend on a Friday night. "At this moment, the streets of the district are empty because it is Shabbat", she relates. Two boys then jumped on young women to steal their cell phones, throwing "You're Jewish, you're rich, you'll be able to buy another one!"

Because the most difficult, according to these young people, remains the remarks in the daily life, often in the evening. Antisemitic insults against a so-called physical "of Jew", Axel often hears: "When I am asked what religion I am, I am told 'It's funny, you do not have a Jewish head'." "What do you think of Netanyahu's policy, because it's your home", also asked a boy to Emma, ​​who lived badly: "At home, it's France."

Faced with these attacks, some have even already considered leaving their country. "If the far right comes to power, we have already spoken with my parents, to move to Israel"says Elsa. Shirel has already tried the experiment: "I needed to leave just to see elsewhere, I could not stand this atmosphere, it weighed me ", She confesses. After her senior year, she left for Israel. "I have a Jewish culture and France, I missed France"she explains to justify her return.

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