President Herzog Addresses Consistoire Delegation of French Jewish Leaders and Public Officials

President Herzog: “In Europe today, we see that blaming the Jews has once again become the default. This is dangerous territory and it works against Europe’s own goals”

On October 11, 2026, President Isaac Herzog addressed a visiting delegation of the Consistoire, the central religious institution of French Jewry, in Jerusalem. The delegation of French Jewish community leaders and public officials from across France was led by the President of the Consistoire, Élie Korchia, and includes the Chief Rabbi of France, Rabbi Haïm Korsia.

President Isaac Herzog:

“I know that it has not been an easy time to be a Jew in the world. It certainly has not been an easy time to be a Jew in France. In a Europe that not so long ago turned on its Jews and on itself, today Israel is demonized, while its Jewish communities contract in fear, forced—once again—into a defensive posture between two identities, and denied—once again—simple, safe belonging.

“The distinctions we make are critical. Disagreeing with Israel on its strategy or on its political venue is legitimate debate. Constructive disagreement in goodwill can serve the goals we share. But that is not what’s going on in Europe and in France. What we are seeing in Europe today is pure scapegoating. What we are seeing in Europe today is that blaming the Jews has become, once again, the default mode, the easiest solution, a cathartic and satisfying disguise for the anger and disappointment over Europe’s own failings and fears. This is dangerous territory. And it works against Europe’s own goals.

“This type of blanket rejection of Israel, the attempt to isolate it, to expose it as evil, while refusing to see the very real perils we face as a nation, nor the critical role we are playing in defending Europe from similar threats, is a grave error.

“Calling for boycotts and sanctions is not simply morally wrong. It reflects a deep alienation from Europe’s own intellectual inheritance while speaking to the darkest shadows of its past. And let’s be clear: they serve no one. Boycotts and sanctions harm, first and foremost, the Palestinians, robbing them of jobs and income. At the same time, they absolve corrupt Hamas leadership of any responsibility for their rabid antisemitism or for their crimes against their own people.

“France and Israel are tied to one another in deep and weighty bonds of history and destiny, and in countless personal family histories and stories, like my own. I believe there are many reasons for faith in a future we can share. I would like to see Israeli and French entrepreneurs and scientists, artists and teachers, investors, and companies doing far more together. Across culture, academia, and science, there is so much for us to exchange—so much goodness we can bring to the world. I believe in this with my whole heart.“