Source: Beliefnet.com
Wire Service: AP
http://www.beliefnet.com/story/158/story_15805_1.html
On December 14, 2004 the Associated Press reported, "Jewish immigration to Israel from France - where anti-Semitic incidents are on the rise - has reached its highest level in more than three decades, immigration officials said Tuesday. The Jewish Agency, a quasi-governmental organization, said 2,236 French Jews immigrated between January and the end of October 2004, up from 1,860 during the same period in 2003 and higher than the full-year figure for any year since 1972 when 2,356 French immigrants arrived. France has experienced a recent wave of anti-Semitic incidents, coinciding with the four year round of violence between Israelis and Palestinians. French Interior Ministry figures show 510 anti-Jewish acts or threats in the first six months of 2004 - compared to 593 for all of 2003. There has also been growing friction between the 600,000 strong French Jewish community - the third-largest in the world - and France's Muslim population of almost 5 million."