The Jewsof FranceSelected issues

Erik H. Cohen School of Education - Bar Ilan University

The Kantor Center for the Study of Contemporary European Jewry Tel Aviv University

January 26, 2012

The surveyed populations Historical background The Jewish day school What would you wish to be? … Typology of the French Jews References Basic bibliography

524 decision makers and professionals of the Jewish community

878 heads of families answered based on family names 17 departments covered

between 13 – 31 January, 2002 based on family names 1132 heads of families answered 30 departments covered 300 questions

1945-2002 alumni of Institute of counselors training program for Diaspora Jewish youth (המכון למדריכי חוץ לארץ)

1163 Institute alumni responded to questionnaires, representing 50% of those who received the questionnaire

600 (53%) of the heads of households interviewed in the first study

281 counselors in Jewish movements and organizations answered

1280 Jews aged 18+ answered

1789: French revolution 1791: Political emancipation of the Jews 1806: Grand Sanhedrin by Napoleon

[Assembly of Jewish Notables] 1808: Consistoires 1894: Dreyfus Affair (1894-1906) 1905: Separation of Church and State 1940: Vichy regime

1940 1945 1956 1962 1967

Circa 500,000 Paris intra muros (26%) Paris suburbs (30%) Province (44%)1. Marseille2. Lyon3. Nice4. Toulouse5. Strasbourg

70% Sefardi, 24% Ashkenazi, 6% both

51% traditional, 5% orthodox, 15% liberal, 29% non-practicing

29% Very frequently in the community, 17% Frequently, (…), 20% Never

Profession Percentage

Artisans 3

Traders 10

Managers 6

Senior executives 11

Liberal professions 14

Middle executives 14

Intellectual professions 15

Employees 25

Workers 2

Total 100

The Jewish day school in The Jewish day school in FranceFrance

Year Students in Jewish day schools

1950 400

1970 3000

1978 7992

1988 15907

2002 28391

2010 30525

Development of Jewish day Development of Jewish day schools in France: 1950-2010schools in France: 1950-2010 (a) (a)

Framework Percentage

Jewish day schools

~ 30%

Non Jewish private school (catholic)

~ 30%

Public school ~ 40%

Parents of children who do not attend

Jewish day school

Parents of children who attend Jewish

day school

Aliyah very soon 5 30

Aliyah later 43 52

No intention of Aliyah 52 18

Total 100 100

If you could be born If you could be born again, what would again, what would

you wish to be?you wish to be?

USA Western

Europe

United

Kingdom

South

Africa

South

America

Jew in

Home

Country

47 30 29 50 23

Jew in

Israel

30 47 39 25 43

North

America

Western

Europe

South

America

Eastern

EuropeTotal

Jewish in

Home

Country

61 48 57 30 56

Jewish in

Israel26 37 27 41 30

1973 Jewish

Volunteers

Interviewed in

1983

French Israel

Experience

participants in

1984

French Israel

Experience

participants

1993–2003

Jew in France 33 29 36

Jew in Israel 50 54 57

Cohen, E. H. & R. Werczberger (2009). Jewish normativity: an explorative study. In D. Elizur & E. Yaniv (eds.) Theory Construction and Multivariate Analysis: Applications of Facet Approach, FTA Publications, 35-48.

Value Average rating

Honor your parents 2.73

Founding a family 2.61

Studying 2.55

Being oneself 2.52

Helping others 2.42

Enjoying life 2.37

Doing what I like 2.31

Being useful to society 2.24

Having a good time with friends 2.18

Believing in God 2.14

Going away on holiday 2.04

Caring for one’s appearance 2.01

Engaging in sport 1.76

Earning a lot of money 1.70

Profile Percentage

Profile 1: Individualists 22

Profile 2: Universalists 24

Profile 3: Traditionalists 31

Profile 4: Revivalists 23

Total 100

Dominant axiological traitGoing away on holiday, engaging in sport,

caring for one's appearance

Socio-economic detailsAverage income +, Average education +,

aged 50 and over

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démographie et identité. Jewish Population Studies (Vol. 17). Jerusalem: Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Institute of Contemporary Jewry and Paris: and Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique.

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Birnbaum, P. (1988). Un mythe politique :"La République juive": de Léon Blum à Pierre Mendès France. Paris: Fayard.

Birnbaum, P. (2002). Sur la corde raide: Parcours juifs entre exil et citoyenneté. Paris: Flammarion.

Blumenkranz, B. with Lévy, M. (1974). Bibliographie des Juifs en France. Toulouse: Collection Franco- Judaïca.

Chevalier, Y. (1978). Les mutations de la communauté juive de France, 1967-1977. Yod: Revue des Etudes Hébraïques et Juives Modernes et Contemporaines, 3 (6), 42-54.

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