He is one of France’s most popular television and radio hosts—sharp, current, and always funny. But now Arthur Essebag is presenting his indictment against France. His new book, I Lost a Bedouin in Paris, reveals the emotional turmoil the Jewish star has felt since October 7, 2023.
The recently released book details Essebag’s personal journey since that tragic day, his disillusionment with the lack of solidarity from his peers and French society at large, his visits to Israel under rocket fire, and his reflections on the Jewish people after the worst massacre since the Holocaust.
Explaining his motivation, Essebag writes: “My name is Arthur Essebag. I’ve always entertained you on television and never spoke to you about anything else, because I thought it wasn’t my role. Until that morning, when the unthinkable happened. Thousands of terrorists. Entire communities were wiped out. Within hours, 1,200 lives were brutally shattered, and others dragged into tunnels as hostages. If the world were right, it would have cried. As I have often cried for the world. But that day, part of the planet fell silent. It was October 7, 2023—the largest slaughter of Jews since the Holocaust.
“It was a turning point, a descent into hell that pulled my family and loved ones into an endless fall. I saw my fear reflected in their eyes, my anger, my helplessness. I thought of my mother, my roots, this history tattooed in my blood. My DNA began to scream. I said ‘I,’ and I said ‘Jew.’ Almost against my will. I became a voice amid the noise and the lies. And I wrote—because I couldn’t breathe anymore. To survive. To turn pain into action. From my trips to Israel under Hamas rockets, from the friends I lost and those I found again, between tears and laughter, this book was born. A cry that crosses borders—from Tel Aviv to Gaza. A cry asking: where has our humanity gone? I Lost a Bedouin in Paris is my first book. And that Bedouin, in the end... is me.”
In a series of interviews following the book’s release, Essebag spoke of the deep pain he felt over French society’s “silence” after the October 7 massacre.
“For the first time in my professional life, I’ve written from the heart about the pain of French Jews and antisemitism in this country,” he said on France Inter radio, “I’m 60 now, and I decided to speak openly about my feelings and beliefs.”
He said he doesn’t want to speak in terms of “betrayal,” but admitted being deeply hurt by how many in the entertainment industry couldn’t express empathy for the victims and hostages of October 7, while readily showing solidarity with Palestinians.
“It shouldn’t be that hard to call for both the release of hostages and a cease-fire,” he said. “I don’t know why they couldn’t. Some even posted horrible things about Israel online, then sent me private messages saying, ‘It’s not about you.’ On October 9, we gathered at Trocadéro Square in Paris to protest the massacre, and only 5,000 people came. It was terribly empty. So many were missing that day. The silence was deafening.”
Essebag also addressed accusations against the Jewish community over Israel’s military and political actions: “I’m French and Jewish, and because of my Judaism, I’ve been put in a position where people expect me to explain what’s happening in Gaza or justify Israeli policies. It makes no sense. I’m French—it’s not my role to be Israel’s ambassador because you’ve decided I’m ‘the Jew.’ My book is about the loneliness Jews have felt since October 7 and the pain that comes with it.”
“I don’t think French society understands the fear and emotions of its Jewish community. Jewish students are afraid to go to university, people change their names on taxi apps, remove kippahs and mezuzahs, and glance over their shoulders when buying kosher meat. I’ve received thousands of death threats and now have security for me and my family, but many others have no protection. The community is closing in on itself.”
Essebag has also criticized French media and society for their indifference toward the hostages, especially those holding French citizenship. “That troubled me deeply,” he said. “I took it upon myself to host the families of hostages and connect them with officials and people who might help bring them home. It’s something that’s very close to my heart.”