Subscribe to Print Edition | Wed., July 23, 2008 Tamuz 20, 5768 | | Israel Time: 16:34 (EST+7) web haaretz.com   Back to Homepage Rosner's Domain Diplomacy Defense Jewish World Opinion National Print Edition Car Rental Books Haaretz Magazine Business Real Estate Easy Start Travel Week's End Anglo File

Last update - 12:29 23/08/2007 Paris Jewish community leader concerned over mass aliyah By Anshel Pfeffer, Haaretz Correspondent Tags: aliyah, French  Dr. Joel Mergui, the president of the umbrella organization of the Jewish community in Paris, said in an interview with Haaretz on Monday that he fears that a mass migration to Israel among French Jews could severely deplete the Paris community. The fears Mergui expressed in his interview with Haaretz are held by quite a number of community leaders in the Jewish world, though few are willing to express them publicly. "Out of 600,000 Jews living in France, only a third is in contact with the community, and educate their children in Jewish schools. A third is in the process of becoming assimilated, and another third is in the middle, on the fence - and we need to pull them in. All of the education of the Jewish community for years was based on ties and identification with Israel. My worry is that we succeeded too well, we worked so hard with the third of the community whose strong ties with Israel may possibly empty out the Paris community. This is not a fear of anti-Zionism," Mergui said. Advertisement Mergui has a few surprising figures, even for those who are used to seeing Israel's beaches filled with French Jewish tourists. According to his figures, there are 80,000 people with dual Israeli-French citizenship living in Israel today. Out of about 800 Jewish couples from Paris who married last year, about half held the wedding in Israel. Approximately 1,000 family celebrations of French Jews were held in Israel. Mergui said not a day passes without a funeral of a French Jew in Israel. "It may be very heart-warming but the result is many fewer people passing through our synagogues in Paris and fewer use the community's services," he said. "You have to remember that for many Jews, the only time they go to the synagogue is for a wedding or bar mitzvah; and that is our chance to contact those Jews, and it is disappearing." The affairs held in Israel cut into the finances of the community's institutions, in loss of revenue and of contributions related to the events. Also, a large percentage of the Jews called up to be honored in the Torah reading during the Shabbat and holiday synagogue service pledge money for Israel and the IDF, instead of for the local community. There is a constant stream of almost 3,000 Jews a year coming on aliyah from France. In practice, it seems that the number is even greater since many Jews who move to Israel are not in a hurry to apply for Israeli citizenship. Mergui met in Jerusalem with Sephardi Chief Rabbi Shlomo Amar, Minister of Immigrant Absorption Jacob Edrey and the chairman of the Jewish Agency, Ze'ev Bielski. "I told them that all the years our goal was to help Israel; with contributions, tourism and aliyah. Now we need to think not only how to bring Jews to Israel but also how to maintain the community infrastructure in France. For 30 years I have been involved in the community as a Zionist, I am not against aliyah, but I want a realistic ideology. Our responsibility to Israel does not need to ignore our responsibility to our community. If it continues this way, in 20 years we are likely to lose half the community." His goal, he explained, is to replace every Jew who comes to Israel with an uninvolved Jew he draws in. He added that he wants to reach the younger generation by expanding Sunday schools for pupils studying in non-Jewish schools. This requires investing large sums to make these schools much more prestigious; they have a poor image today, he said. Mergui also intends to draw in college-age students by building a Jewish students' center near the Sorbonne and later placing a rabbi or Jewish intellectual at every large university in France. Bookmark to del.icio.us   Baptism by fire Bradley Burston offers 10 Mideast traps for Barack Obama to avoid. A second life 'Exodus' passenger makes aliyah six decades after being turned away.   1.   not only jews leave france 12:55  |  ziggurat 23/08/07   2.   Paris Leader`s Concerns 13:06  |  Nahum Litwin 23/08/07   3.   THE JEWISH ARE CLEVER THE LEADERS ARE " HAS BEEN " 13:38  |  LEON 23/08/07   4.   No sense 13:42  |  Choni Davidowitz 23/08/07   5.   That`s the Zionist Ideal. 13:51  |  Natan 23/08/07   6.   To French Jews 13:51  |  Daniel 23/08/07   7.   Falure of France 13:51  |  CM 23/08/07   8.   Better secular french Aliyah than assimilation 13:56  |  TW 23/08/07   9.   Two-Way Traffic 14:25  |  Johnny Weintraub 23/08/07   10.   Meh, aliya is better. 14:35  |  True 23/08/07   11.   It has slowed.The ball is in the court of the French authorities 15:05  |  PETER.SM 23/08/07   12.   Swap 15:17  |  Yoram 23/08/07   13.   All 600,000 French Jews please come home 15:51  |  Yossi Goldman 23/08/07   14.   Concern over Aliyah 15:53  |  leon 23/08/07   15.   WAKE UP JEWISH BRETHREN!!! 16:16  |  Don 23/08/07   16.   A French Catholic who hates communautarism 16:33  |  TIXIER Antoine 23/08/07   17.   France problem 16:51  |  Castor Troy 23/08/07   18.   Misunderstoof 16:59  |  Ben 23/08/07   19.   Seminal changes in Israel politics guranteed as... 17:03  |  bat yam 23/08/07   20.   #1 ziggerat 17:07  |  Lynn 23/08/07   21.   Have MORE children 17:14  |  David 23/08/07   22.   French Jews don`t get it 17:50  |  Connie 23/08/07   23.   Hachana abah .... 17:53  |  Zionist 23/08/07   24.   Jews Are Needed Abroad As Well 18:08  |  nate 23/08/07   25.   Gene Pool 18:09  |  jordanispalestine 23/08/07   26.   Johnny Weintraub 18:19  |  Connie 23/08/07   27.   To CM 18:30  |  Blue Velvet 23/08/07   28.   Why doesn`t he encourage aliya? 18:31  |  Steve 23/08/07   29.   Jews in France are captive of whatever the ruling party decides 18:33  |  Chick 23/08/07   30.   aliah from France to TW #8 18:53  |  robert 23/08/07   31.   french aliyah 19:10  |  elliot 23/08/07   32.   Euro Parliment to host Anti-Israel NGOs hate-fest 23:13  |  Hal 23/08/07   33.   Mohammad is the winner 00:06  |  dovale 24/08/07   34.   Tixier Antoine 02:08  |  sweis Melbourne 30/08/07   35.   unprotected as in the past 02:16  |  sweis Melbourne 30/08/07   36.   let my people go 06:11  |  Eric B. 06/09/07   37.   let my people go 06:16  |  Eric B. 06/09/07   38.   let my people go 06:21  |  eric B, 06/09/07   39.   no. 21 21:18  |  John 05/05/08   40.   #18 Ben is right: Most of You Missed the Point 16:26  |  Lisa in Chicago 23/07/08

Read & React Bradley Burston: Ten Mideast traps for Obama to avoid Responses: 69 Israel keen to crack down on East Jerusalem terror Responses: 48 'No excuses,' says visiting Obama about bulldozer terrorist Responses: 28 Hezbollah chief to UN: Ready to swap more prisoners with Israel Responses: 45 Akiva Eldar: For sake of the Jewish state, divide Jerusalem Responses: 36 Aluf Benn: Israel's slap in the face from America over Iran Responses: 23 Rosner's Domain Is Jimmy Carter 'tone-deaf' to Jewish sensibilities? (WTR) Will Lebanon pay the price for the prisoner swap deal? What will Obama look for in Jerusalem (and Ramallah)? Why does Israel keep agreeing to prisoner swaps? More Headlines 16:05 Obama in Jerusalem: I'm committed to Israel's security 05:51 ANALYSIS / Obama visiting Israel to impress Jewish voters, not Israelis 15:15 Israel keen to crack down on East Jerusalem terrorists 15:07 Woman suspected of selling her children, sending them to U.K. 13:48 Talansky money trail: Olmert's ex-lawyer tells police how cash was handled 16:25 Polygraph confirms IDF officer didn't didn`t order soldier to shoot cuffed Palestinian 12:21 Goodbye Golden Girl: Comic actress Estelle Getty dies at 84 09:20 Hezbollah chief to UN: Ready to swap more prisoners with Israel 08:27 ANALYSIS / Timing of second Jerusalem bulldozer attack was amazing 10:48 Hundreds turn out for Tel Aviv rally in honor of Gilad Shalit 14:28 Record 450 French immigrants to arrive at Ben Gurion Airport 09:18 Senior IDF officer seriously hurt after jeep flips over in south 09:47 Livni: When I'm PM, I want a unity coalition with Labor and Likud 16:22 Olmert gov't to hold first meeting on global jihad Wednesday 05:31 Man ordered to pay wife NIS 55,000 for refusing to divorce her Previous Editions Select Day 22 jul 21 jul 20 jul 18 jul 17 jul 16 jul 15 jul 14 jul 13 jul 11 jul 10 jul 09 jul

Special Offers Advertisement Fattal Hotel Chain Perfectly located hotels on best resorts of Israel. Israel's Premier Real Estate Website www. israel-property.com Dan Hotels Israel Live the Legend & experience an Unforgettable Summer Vacation Yossi Avrahami Presents: New Luxurious Projects in North Tel Aviv & Eilat Holyland Park Jerusalem Apartment Tower World Class Luxury Your vacation starts here Israel Travel Center Guaranteed Lowest Rates Hebrew Summer courses From $39.95 ISRAEL BONDS Build Israel Israel bonds - a multi-purpose way to celebrate Israel's 60th Eldan Rent a Car Israel's leading car rental company offers you a 20% discount on all online reservations Junkyard Junk a car - get free towing nationwide and a tax-deductible receipt

Home | TV | Print Edition | Diplomacy | Opinion | Arts & Leisure | Sports | Jewish World |