His demand marks the first open dispute between French authorities and Jewish leaders over the death of Sarah Halimi, who allegedly was pushed out the window by her neighbor.
The ascent of Jean-Luc Melenchon, who has made remarks deemed anti-Semitic, is raising the stakes for French Jews already fearful of a victory for the far-right front-runner, Marine Le Pen.
Hundreds on Twitter told the Jewish philosopher to "return to Israel" following the publication of a satirical article, claiming he vowed to leave France if the far-left presidential candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon wins.