FRENCH JEWS FLEE ISLAMISTS FOR FLORIDA

French Jews Flock to South Florida - Alfonso Chardy
French Jews living in South Florida say hostility from Islamic militants in France after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the U.S. spurred them to leave. Departures surged after last year's abduction and death of Ilan Halimi in France. Officials in U.S. Jewish organizations said the number of French Jews could be anywhere from 2,000 to 4,000 in South Florida. ''I would say they're in the thousands now,'' said Mendy Levy, a rabbi at The Shul synagogue in Surfside. Jewish Agency figures show that almost 14,000 French Jews have resettled in Israel since 2001. Vanessa Elmaleh, an attorney who specializes in French Jewish immigration, said perhaps more than 50,000 French Jews are moving or actively planning to move to Israel and more than 10,000 are in South Florida. (Miami Herald)