Shortly after 4:30 pm, the sound of footsteps on the stairs heralded the arrival of the children and their babysitter. In a hurry to talk about their day, and anxious to know "where they're going to eat," they discovered that their living room was occupied by a journalist and a photographer. ("In the kitchen," suggested their father). Yonathan Arfi, 43, is a busy father of four children, aged from 1 to 7 and a half, and is the president of the Conseil Représentatif des Institutions Juives de France (CRIF, Representative Council of French Jewish Institutions).

Since October 7, Arfi has been a fixture on TV and radio: "Difficult days lie ahead. We need to prepare for them, while avoiding panic or over-reaction," he said. "I don't want Jewish life to back down in the face of threats." Elected to head the institution in June 2022, he devotes "over 80% of his time" to this job, which he is passionate about. This unpaid position has long been occupied by older men with established professional positions. The head of a consulting firm, Arfi has the means for this commitment, "without being a millionaire."

In his toy-filled apartment, posters trace the history of the Jews in France. The famous "Dreyfus is a traitor" and "Dreyfus is innocent" occupy an entire wall, in a reference to the Jewish military captain convicted of treason. There are retro advertisements for flights to Israel and a facsimile of the French Jewish emancipation decree of September 27, 1791. "I'm very keen to see the Jewish experience looked at in a way other than through the victim angle and the issue of anti-Semitism."

He is optimistic and confident in republican values: universalism and secularism. He feels close to the world of Charlie Hebdo. André Glucksmann's work on totalitarianism has left its mark on him, as has his reading of Albert Camus – "Because, in Camus, there's an acceptance of tension and nuance. I'm very wary of unanimity, and that's important in Judaism."

Born in Toulouse in 1980, he grew up in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, in the Paris region, in a family of four children. His mother, a housewife, is Moroccan-Jewish. His father, a dentist, is Algerian-Jewish. He met his future wife, Arielle Schwab, in the Union des Étudiants Juifs de France (EUJF, Union of French Jewish Students), in 2009. She became president of the UEJF, and Arfi was its president from 2003 to 2005.

Their children have French first names with Hebrew roots and go to public school. "I'm building with them and for them a life as French Jewish citizens who feel good about themselves." But when he drives them to school, the family travels under police protection. The children have gotten used to it, just as many Jews have gotten used to the fact that schools and synagogues are now bunkers. "The anti-Semites have forced us to build walls," he said, "but it's our responsibility to overcome them."

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