French legislative elections | Jewish community torn as second round approaches

Anti-Semitism has become one of the main themes of the election campaign in France. The Jewish community feels caught between the far right and a part of the left, perceived as anti-Semitic because of its statements on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

In the old alleys of the Marais, a historic district of the Parisian Jewish community, passers-by grimace at the mention of the second round of the legislative elections, which will be held on Sunday, July 7. For good reason: all the polls predict that the far-right party, the National Rally (RN), will come out on top.

“If the RN wins, I’ll consider moving to another European country,” says Olivier Lévy, father and owner of a telephone store, seated at a restaurant renowned for its pastrami.

Particularly concerned by the rise of anti-Semitism, Olivier Lévy does not only point the finger at the RN. He also holds Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s La France Insoumise (LFI) party responsible, the most influential and radical component of the New Popular Front, the left-wing alliance that came second in the first round of the elections.

According to him, LFI would have exploited the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to obtain votes, which would have contributed to legitimizing anti-Semitic acts.

“There are very few Jews who will vote for LFI, and probably a few who will vote for the RN to block it,” adds Greg, the restaurant owner, who prefers to keep his last name secret for fear of reprisals against his business.

Even though he voted in the first round for the right-wing party Les Républicains, he says he is not at all afraid of the RN coming to power. “They have never governed, they have changed their discourse, why not give them a chance?” A position shared, often half-heartedly, by many other customers of the shop.

“It’s a decoy”

Historically criticized for the anti-Semitism of its founder Jean-Marie Le Pen, who notoriously described the gas chambers as a “detail of history” in 1987, the RN surprised the French by making the defense of Jews one of the main arguments of its electoral campaign.

In a tribune for THE FigaroMarine Le Pen thus described her party as the “best bulwark” against anti-Semitism, for which she holds communities of immigrant origin guilty.

A reversal deplored by Yann Boissière, rabbi in a liberal synagogue in the 15th^e arrondissement. “They say they have changed, but it is a decoy. You only have to look at all the candidates whose anti-Semitic statements have been discovered in recent days,” he explains.

He mentions the case of a would-be MP who posted a photo on Facebook of herself wearing a cap from the Luftwaffe, the air force of Nazi Germany, and who has since withdrawn.

“In any case, the old refrain of the RN which consists of opposing the Jewish and Muslim communities is not the right way to fight against anti-Semitism,” he explains.

In recent weeks, some figures in the Jewish community have nevertheless been convinced by the transformation of the RN. The most publicized case is that of Serge Klarsfeld, famous activist and former “Nazi hunter”, who, at 88 years old, said he was ready to vote for the RN.

“It helped to blur the boundaries, but above all it destabilized a lot of people,” laments Yann Boissière.

“We can always vote blank”

Yann Boissière is also very critical of La France Insoumise. “Jean-Luc Mélenchon has always flirted with anti-Semitism in his statements, and he put the Israeli-Palestinian conflict at the center of his electoral campaign as a strategic calculation,” he explains, deploring the fact that his community is “caught in a pincer movement” between the two parties.

After the October 7 attacks, LFI sparked controversy in particular for refusing to label Hamas a terrorist movement.

Jean-Luc Mélenchon also made headlines by describing anti-Semitism in France as “residual,” despite the proven increase in events directed against Jews.

In the constituencies where there will be a second round between the RN and LFI, Yann Boissière therefore refuses to choose. “We can always vote blank.”

An opinion not shared by Fabienne Messica, sociologist and member of the left-wing Jewish collective Golem.

“In my constituency, it will be LFI against the RN in the second round, and I will vote for LFI without hesitation. That doesn’t mean that I have nothing to reproach Jean-Luc Mélenchon for, but I have confidence that the left and LFI will be able to question themselves and change, justifies the 68-year-old activist. My priority on Sunday is to prevent the extreme right from taking power.”