History of the Jews in France
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| Core Jewish population: 480,000 - 550,000 Enlarged Jewish population (includes non-Jewish relatives of Jews): 600,000 |
|
| Regions with significant populations | |
|
Paris Marseille Lyon Strasbourg Toulouse |
|
| Languages | |
|
Traditional Jewish languages Hebrew and Aramaic Predominant spoken languages French, Hebrew, Judeo-Arabic, Yiddish, Russian |
|
| Religion | |
| Judaism | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Sephardi Jews, Mizrahi Jews, Ashkenazi Jews, other Jewish ethnic divisions |
Traditional Jewish languages
Hebrew, Yiddish, Ladino and other Jewish languages (most endangered and some now extinct)
The history of the Jews in France deals with the Jews and Jewish communities in France. There has been a Jewish presence in France since at least the early Middle Ages. France was a center of Jewish learning in the Middle Ages, but persecution increased as the Middle Ages wore on, including multiple expulsions and returns. During the late 18th century French Revolution, France was the first country in Europe to emancipate its Jewish population. Antisemitism has persisted despite legal equality, as expressed in the Dreyfus affair of the late 19th century.
During World War II, the Vichy government collaborated with Nazi occupiers to deport numerous French and foreign Jewish refugees to concentration camps. 25% of the Jewish population in France was killed in the Holocaust.
In the 21st century, France has the largest Jewish population in Europe and the third-largest Jewish population in the world (after Israel and the United States). The Jewish community in France is estimated to be 480,000-500,000 but depends on the adopted definition. French Jewish communities are concentrated in the metropolitan areas of Paris, which has the largest population; Marseille, with the second-largest population of 70,000; Lyon, Nice, Strasbourg, and Toulouse.
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