The
history of the Jews of France deals with the
Jews and Jewish communities in
France. There has been a Jewish presence in France since at least the
early Middle Ages. France was once a center of Jewish learning, but
persecution increased as the Middle Ages wore on, including multiple expulsions and returns. Later on, during the
French Revolution, France was the first country in Europe to
emancipate its Jewish population, but
antisemitism remained an issue despite legal equality, as illustrated in the
Dreyfus affair of the late 19th century. During
World War II, 75% of the Jewish population in France survived the
Holocaust. France has the largest
Jewish population in Europe and the third largest Jewish population in the world (after
Israel and the
United States). The
Jewish community in France is estimated from a core population of 480,000-500,000 to an enlarged population of 600,000. French Jewish communities are found mainly in the metropolitan areas of
Paris,
Marseille,
Lyon,
Strasbourg, and
Toulouse.