French Jews are fleeing the country amid growing fears of anti-Semitism, exacerbated by the latest terrorist attacks in Paris.
Stephen Pollard, editor of the Jewish Chronicle, spoke out on Twitter after an Islamic terrorist took six people hostage at a Kosher supermarket in the French capital, saying the attack, linked to the massacre of 12 people at French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, will prompt more Jews to leave France, the Daily Mail reported.
“Every single French Jew I know has either left or is actively working out how to leave,” Mr. Pollard Tweeted Friday.
“So, it’s a fluke that the latest target is a kosher grocer, is it?” He continued.
“What’s going on in France — outrages that have been getting worse for years — put our anti-Semitism problems in perspective.”
Many Jews are fleeing to Great Britain or Jerusalem. Over the last 18 months, the Jewish population in France has decreased from around 500,000 — the largest population in the EU — to about 400,000, according to Mr. Pollard’s newspaper.
“It is the largest emigration of Jews anywhere since the war. That’s a simple fact,” Mr. Pollard said.
Police stormed the supermarket and killed the 32-year-old hostage-taker, Amedy Coulibaly. Four hostages were killed, while others escaped unharmed, according to multiple media reports.
Amid fears that the attack may be linked to anti-Semitism, police have ordered shops on the Rue des Rosiers, in the Jewish quarter of Paris, be closed early “as a precaution” in case of further violence, the Daily Mail reported.
Police in Britain were also stepping up security in Jewish areas after the attacks in France.
The Community Service Trust (CST), which provides security advice to Britain’s estimated 260,000 Jews, said police in London and Manchester would increase patrols at synagogues and other venues over the next several days.
“There is currently no known link to the U.K., but CST is in continuing contact with police and government, and there will be increased policing in Jewish neighborhoods for the weekend’s Sabbath,” the trust said on its website.
• Kellan Howell can be reached at khowell@washingtontimes.com.
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