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Anshel Pfeffer

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Anshel Pfeffer,

Anshel Pfeffer

Opinion

Sale boards at the ready. After all, the French are coming

January 15, 2015 12:52
The supermarket victims are buried in Jerusalem
1 min read

On Monday morning, Israel's largest tabloid, Yediot Ahronot, featured a cartoon showing an estate agent in Netanya reading the paper's headline "Terror in Paris" and immediately cancelling all his employees' holidays.

For local readers the inference is clear - the French are coming.

Last year broke all records for aliyah from France with 7,000 new immigrants arriving in Israel. The coastal city of Netanya, with its sunshine, boulangeries and large francophone community, is a perennial favourite. This year, it was the second-most popular destination for new olim, nearly entirely due to the French.

It may seem rather parochial to view the Paris events from the perspective of the local property market, but it is a sign of how, for many in Israel, the attacks were both deeply personal and political - even before a Jewish grocery was targeted.

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