A recent IFOP survey commissioned by the Representative Council of French Jewish Institutions (Crif) and the Fondation Jean-Jaurès paints a grim picture of antisemitism in schools across the country.
With a conference on antisemitism in education set to take place at the French Senate, the findings reveal that half of secondary school students have heard derogatory comments about Jews from their peers or family members.
The survey, conducted between 7 and 12 February,2025, found that 4% of students often hear such remarks, 19% occasionally, and 28% rarely. A total of 2,000 students from middle and high schools participated in the self-administered questionnaire.
Key Findings:
- 51% of students have heard negative comments about Jews from fellow students, and 25% have heard similar remarks from family members.
- Common antisemitic expressions included “don’t act like a feuj” (often referring to a student who refuses to lend, share, or pay), with 14% finding it acceptable.
- 17% heard the expression “a Jew is rich”, and 14% deemed it acceptable.
- 12% of students heard “you can recognise Jews” (referring to a student’s nose), and 8% thought it was acceptable.
- A significant 21% of Jewish students hide their religion or origin at school to avoid being targeted, while 6% have witnessed Jewish students leaving or avoiding a school for safety reasons.
The survey also highlighted the concerning level of antisemitic comments deemed acceptable by some students:
- 4% found the insult “dirty feuj” acceptable.
- 7% accepted the phrase “Ça gaze?” (a slang term used toward a Jewish student).
- 3% thought the offensive remark “Hitler, he could have finished the job” was acceptable.
Further, 16% of students would refuse to form friendships or romantic relationships with Jewish students, a figure that rises to 37% when the Jewish student supports Israel amid the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. 6% of students reported hearing the term “dirty Zionist”.
These disturbing statistics come at a time when antisemitism in France has seen a sharp rise since October 2023. In response, the French government launched a series of measures in mid-February 2025 to combat this growing issue. The Ministry of Education recorded 477 antisemitic incidents in the first trimester of the 2024/2025 school year alone.
