The atmosphere here is sombre. My school has invited people from all over to talk to us about the hostages and the war. Many of us cry during these talks. Different “Bring Them Home” posters can be found all around my school, in shuls and scattered around the place we stayed at during camp. They are a loud reminder of Hamas’s atrocities.
We always try to put up hostage photos in the widest areas possible but they seem to not be wanted by passers-by who remove them.
October 7 has changed things for the French Jewish community. Ask any Jewish student on campus and they'll tell you. The protests and bullying allegations are scary and make me wonder if I will ever reveal my Jewish identity to my classmates when I move into higher education. I would definitely not walk outside with an Israeli flag in Marseille - or anywhere in France for that matter.
But it's the little things that have to be hidden because of the danger: Magen David necklaces and youth movement shirts, even the long skirts some girls need to wear for school, which they no longer do in fear of being recognised as Jewish.
I am grateful that I don't go to a non-Jewish state school or I would, I know, have far worse stories to tell. The verbal comments about Palestine my friends in state schools receive aren't pretty and debates are rendered impossible because of running hatred. I look on from afar and try to console them the best I can.
Most of the stuff I've been exposed to is online, on YouTube, TikTok and Instagram, but that’s a pretty universal experience for Jewish teens. It's strange to see my non-Jewish friends’ “All Eyes Oh Rafah” Instagram stories followed by my Jewish friends’ “Bring Them Home” posts. It's a contrast that makes the internal dialogues I have been having since the beginning of the war even more complicated.
I believe that while my future is not in Israel, my heart certainly is. I have definitely felt closer to Israel since October 7 than when I have visited in the past. I am sure most Jews my age share this feeling.
France may not be the best place to live in as a Jew at the moment, especially with the rise of the extreme right and the extreme left, but it is still a country that has shown support to Israel - and made me feel like I belong.
