Just 22% of French Jews, 45% of EU Jews feel safe

Less than half of Jews in Europe feel safe in their home countries, with French Jews the least likely to feel secure, according to new study.

By David Rosenberg, World Israel News

Less than half of Jews living in Europe feel safe in their home countries, according to a recent poll, with just over one-fifth of French Jews reporting they feel secure.

The survey was conducted by the Ipsos International Research Institute on behalf of the Jewish Agency, polling 1,428 Jewish adults in Israel, the United States, Canada, France, the UK, Spain, Germany, Austria, Australia, Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela from September to October 2025.

The findings from the study were published in the Jewish Agency’s “One People” global report on Sunday.

The report found that 43% of European Jews said they or a family member experienced antisemitism in the past year, while only 45% said they feel safe as Jews in their country.

The findings were especially stark in France, where just 22% of Jews surveyed said they feel safe as Jews in their country, the lowest figure highlighted in the report.

The report also found that 43% of European Jews said they feel uncomfortable wearing Jewish symbols in public, underscoring the extent to which antisemitism has moved from a political issue into daily life and personal behavior.

Presenting the findings, Israeli President Isaac Herzog said the report “presents a worrying picture of a rise in antisemitism and a deterioration in the sense of security.”

“It is precisely in these days that we must strengthen mutual responsibility and stand together as one people,” Herzog added.

Jewish Agency Chairman Doron Almog also warned of the pressure facing Jewish communities abroad.

“Even when tension is rising around us, the Jewish people draw strength from their ability to hold each other together,” Almog said. “Out of the threat also emerges resilience, belonging, and hope.”

The report said antisemitism is now seen as the biggest challenge facing Jewish communities worldwide. It found that 69% of Jews globally and 79% of Israeli Jews identified antisemitism as a leading concern.

Despite the grim numbers, the survey found that European Jews remain strongly tied to communal life. Some 67% said they feel connected to their local Jewish community, a higher level than in North America. But the report also suggested that this sense of connection is developing alongside, not instead of, deep anxiety over security.