The Jewish community in France is the world’s third-largest Jewish population. It numbers more than 450,000 people. That entire population is in the middle of a challenging and consequential series of choices as it votes in the snap parliamentary election called by the country’s president, Emmanuel Macron.
Round one of the elections took place on June 30 and round two will be held on July 7.
France’s Jewish community has emerged as a significant theme in the election. In addition to the fact that antisemitic episodes in France have exploded over the past several months — with a reported 360 incidents in the first three months of 2024, representing a staggering 300% increase over the same period last year — the two major parties in the election make French Jews nervous.
The election essentially pits the hard-right-leaning National Rally party of Marine Le Pen against the left-wing France Unbowed party of Jean-Luc Melenchon. National Rally and LePen, whose anti-immigrant position drives their fast-growing popularity, have a disturbing history of antisemitism. And yet, since the Oct. 7 attack on Israel by Hamas, Le Pen has been one of the most emphatic supporters of Israel and French Jews.
In contrast, Melenchon and France Unbowed have been vehement in their denunciation of Israel’s military operation in Gaza as “genocide,” with a disturbing series of statements that are outright antisemitic.
The choice between National Rally and France Unbowed is frustrating, as neither one is seen as supportive of France’s Jewish community. The “damned if you do, damned if you don’t” confrontation between a newfound pro-Israel National Rally — whose antisemitic founder, Jean-Marie Le Pen, described the gas chambers of the Holocaust as “a detail” of history — and France Unbowed, who Macron described last week as “guilty of antisemitism,” confounds the community.
So, why not just vote for Macron’s centrist Renaissance party? That’s because the future of the Renaissance party is up in the air, following its weak showing against National Rally in the European Parliament elections on June 9. Indeed, that poor performance is what prompted Macron’s surprise announcement of snap elections.
Within a week, France could have a hard-left or hard-right government — or descend into a political deadlock if no bloc wins a majority. That would leave France hamstrung as problems mount at home and abroad and French Jews continue to be subjected to even more heated and brutal antisemitic incidents.
Those watching the election have conflicting views over what drove Macron to seek snap elections — particularly on the eve of the Summer Olympics in Paris — and what he hopes to accomplish through them.
We await the result of the process along with a nervous world with the added uncomfortable feeling that the Jewish community in France doesn’t really have any good choices in this election.