French President Emmanuel Macron eases to victory among a public wary of challenger Marine Le Pen, who while having moderated her far-right image could not properly defend her past ties with Russia, her campaign fumbles, and, especially among Jews, the liability of her last name.
Civil servant Michael Blume defends allegations of impropriety by going on the offensive against his Jewish accusers. The established German Jewish community supports him, demonstrating a partisan rift. Now, allegations of corruption have surfaced.
The positions of political parties on Jewish German life and Israel read well on paper, as they also did in person at a pro-Israel rally in May at the Brandenburg Gate, where all parties (aside from the excluded AfD) sounded unusually strong pro-Israel rhetoric.