A leading Australian Jewish leader is encouraging followers of that faith to continue wearing the kippa, despite calls from French Jews to refrain after a recent school attack.
Jews in France are debating whether to wear the brimless cap in public places, following an attack on a teacher in the southern French city of Marseille earlier this week.
Worn mainly by men, the kippa is a powerful symbol of Jewish identity and is considered a sign of reverence for god.
Peter Wertheim is the executive director of the Executive Council of Australian Jews.
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Mr Wethein said reports of incidents where Jewish people are attacked for wearing the cap are infrequent, but do occur.
"We record these sorts of incidents of people being attacked in the street because they're wearing a head covering,” he said.
“It doesn't happen often in Australia, it's a relatively rare occurrence and we would certainly never council observant Jewish men not to wear the head covering.
“We've never done that and I'm not aware of any case in which a person has ceased to wear a head covering out of fear for their safety. But I am aware of incidents in which Jewish men have been attacked for wearing a head covering.”
French police charged the 15-year-old who attacked the teacher for wearing a kippa.
A Jewish community leader in Marseille, Zvi Ammar, began a campaign to ask Jews not to wear the kippa in public.
In a statement to La Provence newspaper, Mr Ammar said, while he regrets discouraging people from wearing the cap, he's concerned about their security.
The Chief Rabbi of France, Haim Korsia, meanwhile argues wearing the kippa shows strong religious beliefs that need to be maintained.
"The decision to not wear the kippa for a while means that we project part of the responsibility on the victim, so I think is very serious," he said.
"Secondly, what is the limit? A beard, can one recognise the beard of a rabbi from a trendy beard? Then what after that? Clothes, the way we dress? Then someone who walks in the street on Saturday morning on his way to the synagogue, isn't it too visibly Jewish? It doesn't end."
France has the highest Jewish and Muslim populations in Europe.
The country has been under a state of emergency since mass attacks that killed 130 people in Paris last November.
The attacks have inspired debate on the issue of wearing religious symbols in public places.
Marseille local Julien Moshe Chokroun said due to a rise in attacks, he’s changed his habits.
“I've always worn a cap when I go out but it's more a question of respect,” he said.
“It can sometimes be considered as a little aggressive to walk in with a kippa but it's not because there are more attacks."
Peter Wertheim from the Executive Council of Australian Jews said followers shouldn’t be afraid of showing their faith.
"Any religious Jew who wears the Kippa and who wishes to do so should be at liberty to do so,” he said.
“This is something that is guaranteed in a democracy and in a free society such as ours."
The incident in Marseille comes days after France held memorial events for the 147 victims killed in separate attacks in January and November last year.
Since then, more than 700 synagogues, Jewish schools and community centres have been under police or military protection.
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