France’s Jews Prepare for the Worst................

The recent conflict between Israel and Palestine incited a slew of global protests, many of them condemning Israel for its attacks on the Gaza Strip. Violent demonstrations in and outside Paris caught the world's attention. Pro-Palestinian protesters turned from peacefully chanting, to hurling stones and bottles at riot police and throwing smoke bombs in the streets. People shouting "Death to Jews" targeted Jewish-owned shops and places of worship, attacking one synagogue and setting a kosher grocery store ablaze.

These acts of aggression against Jews in France appear to be part of a growing trend—rather than something sparked specifically by Israel's ecent incursion. According to the French Interior Ministry, anti-Semitic incidents have increased 40 percent during the first three months of 2014. And in a country where a whopping 37 percent of the population harbors anti-Semitic attitudes, one Jewish youth group, Betar France, has started to fight back.



H/T Lenmar