Two Jews Attacked Outside Synagogue Near Paris

May 26, 2014

3 min read

View over Paris at dusk. (Photo: Benh Lieu Song/ Wiki Commons)
(Photo: Benh Lieu Song/ Wiki Commons)

Just hours after the fatal shootings at a Brussels Jewish museum, two young men were attacked outside a French synagogue on Saturday night.  The victims, two brothers, aged 18 and 21, were dressed in a manner that identified them as religious Jews.  Their two assailants fled the scene, one on foot and one on a bicycle.

The synagogue is located in a southeastern Paris suburb called Creteil.  Albert Elharrar, president of the Jewish Community of Creteil, told BFM-TV that one of the brothers was struck in the eye with a set of brass knuckles and is expected to be hospitalized for ten days.  Fortunately, though badly hurt, both men are expected to recover fully.

Laurent Cathala, the mayor of Creteil, a city with a strong Jewish population, said, “The aggression has an anti-Semitic characteristic, there is no doubt about it.”  French President Francois Hollande also condemned the attack, expressing  “the will of France to allow all Jews of France to feel in perfect security and calm.

“We must do everything to fight against anti-Semitism and racism,” Hollande told news channel I-Tele on Sunday.  He said French police would do everything in their power to catch those responsible.

Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve, who first publicized the attack, ordered police to increase security around Jewish establishments as of Sunday.

The attack drew criticism and alarm around the world.  Jewish Agency chairman Natan Sharansky, responding to both attacks over the weekend, said,  “I am deeply distressed by yesterday’s horrifying attacks against Jewish targets in Brussels and Paris. We at The Jewish Agency for Israel are investing considerable sums in helping Jewish communities across Europe—including in Belgium and France—provide for their physical security.”

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Sharansky expressed his agreement with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s assessment of the situation, that the attacks were the result of anti-Jewish incitement.  “Nothing will help so long as Europe’s political and intellectual leadership refrains from declaring all-out war against the demonization of the Jewish state,” Sharansky said. “While Jews as individuals are no longer demonized in Europe as they were in previous centuries, the demonization of Israel—the collective Jew—continues to rise to new heights, creating a toxic atmosphere in which Jews live in fear and those who target them flourish.

“When Israel is singled out for condemnation and scorn, even as crimes against humanity and genuine humanitarian catastrophes rage throughout the Middle East and around the world, the message to those seeking a pretext to harm Jews is clear. Until Europe declares war on the demonization of Israel, no security measure will help,” Sharansky added.

The American Jewish Committee (AJC) also weighed in on the issue.  “One anti-Semitic tragedy on the heels of another underscores the very real dangers for Jews today in the heart of Europe, even as we recognize that the governments stand steadfastly against any such manifestations,” said AJC executive director David Harris.

“Clearly, far more still needs to be done – from beefing up security at Jewish institutions to stronger intelligence- gathering, from tougher judicial action to, in the longer term, better education in the school systems for fostering a climate of mutual respect,” he added.

France’s Jewish community is the largest in Europe, with some 550,000 members, but heightened anti-Semitism has prompted a high rate of emigration, including many who move to Israel.

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