CBS News
Antisemitism in Europe drives some Jews to seek safety in Israel despite ongoing war in Gaza
Ashdod, southern Israel — There will be a decisive second round of voting in France Sunday after the far-right National Rally Party, led by Marine Le Pen, won big against centrist President Emmanuel Macron in the first round of the national election exactly one week earlier.
Le Pen’s party has a history of racism, antisemitism and islamophobia dating back decades. Some prominent Jewish figures in France — which is largely considered to have the biggest Jewish population in Europe — say there’s been more antisemitism lately not only from the far-right, but also from the left.
Tension has mounted across Europe since the start of Israel’s war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip, with massive rallies, most of them pro-Palestinian, held in major cities across the continent.
BENJAMIN CREMEL/AFP/Getty
Harrowing images from Gaza have fueled outrage and, in some alarming cases, antisemitism has been seen and heard. In one of the most worrying examples, some people even celebrated on the streets of London on the day that Hamas militants killed some 1,200 people in their unprecedented terrorist attack on Israel.
Nearly 40% of antisemitic incidents in the world last year took place in Europe, and there was a spike after that Oct. 7 attack by Hamas. In Germany, they nearly doubled. In the U.K., they more than doubled. And in France, they nearly quadrupled.
Those incidents and the underlying hatred behind them have prompted some Jewish families to move not further away from the war, but toward it — to Israel.
Requests from French Jews to relocate to Israel have soared by 430% since October.
Among those who have already made that move are Sarah Zohar and her family, who lived a comfortable life in France — until her children were attacked while walking to sports practice.
CBS News
They packed their bags and moved to the southern Israeli city of Ashdod, remarkably only about 15 miles from the Gaza Strip, which Hamas ruled for almost 20 years and from which it launched its attack in October.
“I feel safer here,” Zohar told CBS News, but she doesn’t pretend it’s been an easy transition for her family.
“I have a child, 12 years old, and he’s told me, ‘I don’t want to go to Israel, because I don’t want people to come to my house and kill me with a knife and take my head off,” she said. “I told him: ‘You have nothing to be afraid. We have an army to defend us.'”
About 2,000 miles away, back in Paris, Rabbi Tom Cohen said Jews were remembering the antisemitism of World War II, and for some, it felt like “we didn’t get past it, and it is still here — it just has changed form, like many viruses change and mutate.”
CBS News met Guila and Eitan Elbazis as they moved into their new home in Ashdod after leaving their lives in London.
They showed off their new bomb shelter room.
CBS News
“Hopefully, please, God, there won’t be any rockets, but as you can see, this door is bulletproof, and it locks up,” Giulia said.
As the Elbazis start a family, they decided they’d rather contend with the threat of Hamas and Hezbollah on their doorstep than with hatred on the streets of London.
“I think there’s a general sense of fear and anxiety and lack of comfort in London,” Eitan said.
“Like I have to hide who I am to be safe,” agreed Giulia.
They said they felt safer in Israel, “hands down. Without even thinking about it.”
“We have institutions here to defend us,” said Eitan.
Giulia added that while Israel is a country at war, “this is home,” and for them, it’s a home where they don’t have to hide who they are.
Watch CBS News
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.
ViewStock
There are many reasons to consider investing in gold right now. With high inflation, geopolitical unrest and the coming election, having a healthy safe haven allocation in your investment portfolio makes sense. And, gold is an effective way to protect your portfolio from risk.
Gold’s price has seen strong growth this year, too. After starting the year off at $2,063.73, the price of gold climbed to $2,439.98 by May 20. But that price has since cooled. Today, gold is trading at around $2,380.00 per ounce. Although that’s significantly lower than gold’s May record high, it still represents more than 15% growth year-to-date.
While there are many reasons to invest in gold, it’s important to make the right moves when you do, particularly this July.
Invest in gold now to give your portfolio a boost.
3 gold investing moves to boost your portfolio this July
You can use gold to improve your portfolio’s performance in a few ways this July. Some of the most effective include:
Focus on allocation
Gold’s price has grown quite a bit this year. And, the safe haven properties of the precious metal are valuable given the current economic, political and geopolitical climates. So, you may want to add quite a bit of the yellow metal to your portfolio. But, you shouldn’t overdo your investment.
While gold is an attractive safe haven, the stock market’s performance has been strong this year, too – the S&P 500 is up around 17% year-to-date. And, it’s important to balance your portfolio with a healthy mix of safe havens and traditional assets like stocks and bonds.
Most experts say you shouldn’t allocate more than 10% of your portfolio assets to gold. Some suggest that a 5% gold allocation is more reasonable. So, consider your investment goals, the other assets in your portfolio and how gold relates to those assets when choosing your allocation. But, in any case, keep your holdings to a maximum of 10% of your portfolio’s assets.
Take advantage of gold’s safe haven and inflation protection properties today.
Invest now
Gold’s price is down but it may not stay there for long. Gold’s price tends to go through cycles. Upward cycles are typically followed by downward cycles and vice versa. Based on the cyclical nature of gold’s price, there are two reasons why waiting to make your investment could be a mistake:
- The discount could disappear: If you buy gold now, you’ll do so at a discount to its most recent high. But, if you wait too long, that discount could disappear.
- You could be priced out: Gold isn’t a cheap commodity, even considering the current discount. And, if history is any indication, gold’s price will continue to produce long-term gains – regardless of the short-term cycles it experiences. So, if you wait too long, gold’s price could become cost-prohibitive – making it difficult to add the commodity to your portfolio later.
So, add gold to your portfolio now to take advantage of the current discount in its price and avoid any issues with being priced out of the market later.
Look for discounted options
Gold’s spot price is typically the price that’s quoted online. But, that’s not usually the price you pay when you purchase the commodity. In most cases, dealers add a markup to the spot price to generate a profit. So, it’s possible to overpay for the commodity if you’re not careful – but it’s also possible to find discounted options.
Many online gold dealers buy second-hand precious metals and resell them at a discount to their freshly-minted counterparts. And, while these products may have some imperfections and may not be the particular design you want, their value is in the weight of the gold they’re made with. So, when you look for these discounts, you could cut the cost of your gold investment while you take advantage of the benefits of adding the precious metal to your portfolio.
The bottom line
Gold is a compelling asset with valuable inflation protection and safe haven qualities. But, when you invest invest in the precious metal this July, it’s a good idea to make your investment strategically. In particular, invest now and be sure that when you do, you maintain a healthy allocation representing 10% or less of your portfolio’s value. Also, look for opportunities to buy gold at a discount. Doing so could cut the cost of your investment. Compare your options among leading gold dealers now.
Watch CBS News
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.