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France has Europe's largest Jewish community: about 440,000, the biggest after the United States and Israel. The community is mostly Sephardi-Mizrahi, descended from Moroccan, Tunisian, and Algerian Jews who immigrated to France between 1956 and 1965. Today they cluster in Paris (~80% of the community), Marseille, Lyon, Nice, and Strasbourg. French aliyah surged after 2014 in response to antisemitic attacks, peaking around 7,000/year in 2015, with total French olim in Israel now exceeding 150,000. Hotspots: Netanya (the French capital), Ashdod (Mizrahi-French), Bat Yam (working-class), Tel Aviv (professionals), Jerusalem (religious).
Cultural note, Netanya is the "Tel Aviv-on-the-Mediterranean for the French", boulangeries on every corner, French-language signage, French-speaking medical clinics, and a beachfront promenade that feels like Nice with Hebrew. The 2015 spike followed the Hyper Cacher attack in Paris and a wider wave of antisemitic violence. French Israelis often retain dual citizenship and travel back and forth between Israel and France monthly. The cultural blend is distinctive: Mediterranean kosher cuisine, café culture, and Mizrahi-Sephardi rituals coexist with Parisian habits. French-speaking Israeli media include i24NEWS (founded by French Jews) and the daily Hayom in French. Nefesh B\'Nefesh expanded its operations to France around 2014 to handle the surge.
French Jewish Demographics
French Aliyah
French-Israeli Cities
Cultural Markers
Aliyah Vocabulary
Netanya French Family
A French oleh family in Netanya describes daily life.