‘’European Jews must continue to benefit from the right to remain in Europe at their own choice,’’ says Rabbi Menachem General Director of the European Jewish Association (EJA) in a reaction to a call by a US Jewish leader to French Jews to have ‘‘orderly plans in place’’ to leave their country.

In an interview with The Times of Israel, Malcolm Hoenlein, Executive Vice President of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, declared that Jews of France should prepare plans to leave the country. ‘’They shouldn’t flee. But they should have orderly plans in place,” he said, adding that “things in Israel should be prepared. The licensing process for lawyers, doctors, etc., should be facilitated in order to integrate them quickly.”

But Rabbi Margolin, who is steadfastly campaigning for the right of European Jews to live a ‘’normal and safe life’’ in their respective countries, says he ‘’fundamentally disagrees’’ with Hoenlein’s conclusion.

“I was grateful by the care shown by one of America’s leading Jewish organisations to the situation facing European Jews, although I fundamentally disagree with the conclusion, that Europe’s Jews should prepare to leave their historic homelands in fear.’’

‘’There is no doubt that Israel is the homeland of the Jewish people, but nevertheless - as I have often stated - European Jews must continue to benefit from the right to remain in Europe at their own choice. Any decision to leave should be of their own volition and not prompted by fears for their safety and for the future of European Jewry – in this case, for one of Europe’s oldest and largest communities in France,’’ says Margolin.

He continues, ‘’Such calls for European Jews to prepare an exit plan, however well-meaning the intention inspiring them, only serve to promote fear and panic in what are already trying times for Europe’s Jewish communities.’’

According to Margolin, these calls ‘’sadly fail to address the root concerns, which is the inescapable obligation of European governments, leaders and institutions to adequately address security concerns of one of Europe’s most prominent minority communities, and to make sure that community institutions are protected around the clock.’’

‘’Whilst I fully agree that the State of Israel should be the final destination for all Jews once the Messiah comes, for the moment it isn’t a realistic choice for all European Jews. We should look to supporting every European’s right to freely choose his own future independent of security concerns – whether that may be in Europe, or elsewhere,’’ he says.

‘Margolin calls on Jewish and political leaders '' to avoid further contributing to the culture of fear and panic that could put the future of Europe’s Jewish communities into doubt.''

In the interview, Hoenlein stressed that there are “whole areas in France today where the police don’t venture, and where Jews and Christians don’t go.” ‘’France’s security agencies can’t monitor all potential terror threats,’’ he said.