(SeaPRwire) –   PARIS, France — Israel’s ambassador to France has stated that the rhetoric of far-left leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon against Jews “reminds me of Hitler,” cautioning that foreign influence is fueling a rise in antisemitism, leading some French Jews to conceal their identities for daily survival.

France documented 1,320 antisemitic acts in 2025, a threefold increase from the 436 incidents reported in 2022. However, a senior figure among Jewish community leaders informed Digital that they refuse to yield, even as attacks and incidents persist.

Joshua Zarka, Israel’s Ambassador to France, noted that France, home to Europe’s largest Muslim community, is contributing to the high volume of antisemitic incidents reported daily across the country. France also hosts Europe’s largest Jewish community.

“The number of events is extremely high — not because the French government does not fight it, but because there is this base in which antisemitism is growing,” he explained, attributing this to foreign influence, which he claimed originates from Iran, Russia, Turkey, and Qatar.

While he asserted that these state actors are externally stoking anti-Jewish sentiment, certain French political figures exploit antisemitism to garner more votes. According to Zarka, the far-left party La France Insoumise (LFI) is prominent among them.

“The way [LFI leader] Jean-Luc Mélenchon speaks in front of a crowd reminds me of Hitler. The way he uses the idea of uniting against one enemy by speaking of Israel is similar to the way Hitler used to speak about the Jews,” Zarka remarked.

In February, the Human Rights League criticized Mélenchon after he mocked the pronunciation of Jewish names, including that of MEP Raphaël Glucksmann.

Mélenchon had previously written on his blog that “antisemitism remains residual in France,” comments that critics argued downplayed a surge in anti-Jewish hatred following Hamas’s Oct. 7 massacre in Israel.

Digital repeatedly sought comment from Mélenchon’s media adviser but did not receive a response.

Zarka further added that over the past three years, there has been a shift in the Jewish community’s perception of what was once considered the extreme right, with many no longer viewing the National Rally, formerly led by Marine Le Pen, as such.

“Let’s not forget that [National Rally president] Jordan Bardella went to Israel and, at Yad Vashem, made a formal commitment to fight antisemitism, be it from the right or the left, and that is significant… that is sinking into the mind of the Jewish community,” Zarka stated.

Recent incidents include the partial cutting down on January 12 in Lyon of a tree planted in memory of Ilan Halimi, who was abducted and murdered in a 2006 antisemitic attack. On February 9, a young boy wearing a kippah was assaulted by a group of five individuals, one of whom allegedly held a knife to his throat. Ten days later, acid was sprayed in two dining rooms of a kosher restaurant in Paris’s 17th arrondissement. On April 15, racist and antisemitic graffiti targeted three high schools in the Montpellier metropolitan area.

In March, two brothers were arrested in connection with what authorities described as a “deadly and antisemitic” plot after police discovered a semi-automatic weapon, a bottle of hydrochloric acid, and an Islamic State flag in their vehicle.

Rabbi Elie Lemmel was targeted in two antisemitic attacks, including last June in Deauville, where he was punched in the stomach. Days later, he was attacked again in Neuilly-sur-Seine while sitting at a café terrace, when a Palestinian from Gaza struck him with a chair.

Lemmel told Digital he had almost never faced aggression before, but believes the post-Oct. 7 conflict has intensified tensions. He said he understands those who choose to be more discreet and would never judge them.

“You have to be vigilant,” he said. “Unfortunately, some people see a kippah and it bothers them. Those who want to do harm will always find reasons.

“If we start hiding, it is the beginning of the end,” he added. “I have always worn a kippah, and that is why I continue to wear it.”

Yonathan Arfi, president of the Conseil Représentatif des Institutions juives de France (CRIF), reported that some Jewish families now forgo displaying mezuzahs or use different names on mobile apps to avoid being identified.

“On the one hand, there is a rise in antisemitism that leads to precautionary behavior,” Arfi told Digital. “On the other hand, Jewish life remains more vibrant than ever, with synagogues full and more kosher restaurants than ever before.”

“We must not offer antisemitic terrorists and those driven by hatred our fear and withdrawal as a trophy,” said Arfi. “Wherever possible, Jewish life must continue openly and proudly.”

Immigration to Israel, he said, should nevertheless be seen as a warning sign that some Jews no longer see a future in France.

Historically, French immigration to Israel averaged between 1,500 and 2,000 people annually after the Six-Day War. The figure peaked at around 8,000 annually between 2012 and 2015, fell to about 1,000 in 2023, then rose again to more than 2,000 in 2024 and 3,500 in 2025. The Jewish Agency for Israel estimates roughly 4,000 immigrants from France in 2026.

The Israeli ambassador to Paris noted that French authorities take combating antisemitism seriously, and therefore the country remains “a relatively safe place,” while urging Israelis to exercise caution when traveling to other European countries such as Spain, Belgium, and even the Netherlands, “where antisemitism flourishes.”

In February, President Emmanuel Macron denounced the “antisemitic hydra” that had crept into “every crack” of French society during a ceremony commemorating Ilan Halimi, a Jewish man kidnapped and tortured to death by the Gang of Barbarians in 2006.

“In 20 years, and despite the resolute efforts of our police officers, gendarmes, judges, teachers and elected officials, the antisemitic hydra has kept advancing,” Macron said, according to Le Monde.

“Constantly assuming new faces, it has insinuated itself into the heart of our societies, into every crevice, too often accompanied by that same pact of cowardice: to keep silent, to refuse to see,” he continued.

Macron also condemned the “Islamist antisemitism” behind the Oct. 7 Hamas-led massacre, as well as “far-left antisemitism,” which he said “rivals that of the far right.”

He added that antisemitism increasingly “uses the mask of anti-Zionism to advance quietly.”

Even so, bilateral ties with Israel are not without friction, with Zarka disclosing that the government of French President Emmanuel Macron refused to allow U.S. military overflights carrying weapons to Israel during the war against Iran.

“The French made the decision not to provide us with an aerial bridge for American weapon shipments to fly over during the war against Iran,” he said.

It was the second time France had denied such a request, the first occurring during the 1973 Yom Kippur War, the envoy noted.