Key French-Jewish institutions endorse Macron over Le Pen

As during her previous two presidential runs, France’s main Jewish groups have gone partisan and called on Jews to vote against the far-right candidate Marine Le Pen

THIS TIME THE call has triggered a community-wide debate about the role of French Jewish institutions that has highlighted the growing polarization of French Jewry.

The Representative Council of Jewish Institutions of France, or CRIF, a group that lobbies the French government on Jewish issues, and the Consistoire, which provides religious services and employs the country’s chief rabbi, have become increasingly partisan over the past decade, amid a rise in the popularity of the far right, which they and many other French Jews consider dangerous.

Last week both groups urged French Jews to vote for centrist incumbent Emmanuel Macron in the second round of the presidential election on Sunday.

FULL STORY Key French-Jewish institutions endorse Macron, fuelling debate about their role in politics (JTA)