France has the largest Jewish community in Europe – around 550,000 people.
Increasingly, however, many say they no longer feel safe in their country.
The Pinto family chose to move away from Seine-Saint-Denis, a Paris suburb.
Last year, three men locked them up for several hours in their home. They were “targeted” because of their religion.
“They told us, you are Jews, so you have money,” says Roger Pinto. “They tied up my son, and they kicked my wife in the ribs. I was knocked out,” he says.
While the suspects are in jail, the trauma remains.
Pinto adds, “They tied up the three of us in our room, they sat us on the bed and told us not to move. “If you move, we’ll kill you”, they said. When they saw that they did not impress us, they took out a very big screwdriver. And that’s where it got serious, because they put the screwdriver like that (under his throat).”
Both synagogues and Jewish schools are heavily protected because of fears of terrorism.
Source: EN
