Three synagogues, a Holocaust memorial and a kosher restaurant were vandalized with green paint. This is the first time that green paint was utilized in order to vandalize Jewish sites.
By Rachel Avraham
Last Friday and Saturday, several Jewish sites in Paris were vandalized with green paint, including the Mémorial de la Shoah, the Tournelles synagogue, and the Agoudas Hakehilos synagogue—all in city’s Jewish quarter—as well as a third synagogue in a different part of the city, ART News reported. France 24 added that a kosher restaurant was also vandalized in the French capitol city.
According to the report, it has been common in France for red paint to be used as a protest against Israel and the ongoing war in Gaza. The report noted that Green paint, however, is new. ART News reported that there was no accompanying message in the graffiti, nor has a group claimed responsibility.
“I am deeply disgusted by these heinous acts targeting the Jewish community,” French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau wrote on X. The Times of Israel reported that Retailleau last week called for “visible and dissuasive” security measures at Jewish-linked sites amid concerns over possible antisemitic acts.
France 24 reported that three Serbian nationals have been arrested in France in connection with the vandalism of Jewish sites in Paris over the weekend. According to the report, authorities in Paris immediately launched an investigation into “damage committed on religious grounds”. On Monday, France 24 reported that the Serbian nationals were reportedly arrested in the southeastern region of Alpes-Maritimes as they were preparing to leave France..
The French media was quick to blame Russian intelligence services for the latest antisemitic vandalism, claiming that they seek to sow instability in France. In the past, when the French tried to blame the Russians for domestic antisemitism, Moscow denied any involvement and described the reports as “stupid” and “outrageous”.
Meanwhile, France 24 reported that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has criticized his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron over the latest vandalism, saying he must do more to clamp down on antisemitism in France. The country hosts the largest Jewish community in Europe, which has made it a frequent flashpoint for rising antisemitism. In recent years, reports of antisemitic incidents have surged in France, with a sharp rise reported in 2023 after the October 7th massacre in Israel.
“Antisemitic acts account for more than 60 percent of anti-religious acts, and the Jewish community is particularly vulnerable,” Retailleau said in the message seen by AFP. President Isaac Herzog tweeted that he was “appalled” by the attack, noting that one of the targeted synagogues, in the Marais neighborhood, “was built by my great-grandfather Rabbi Joel Herzog.”
Herzog said he had spoken Saturday evening to French Jewish community leaders “to express my solidarity, and support for the community.” He urged French authorities to “act swiftly and firmly to bring the perpetrators to justice, and to defend the Jewish community from hatred and attacks of any kind.”
The High Representative for the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC), strongly condemned the recent acts of antisemitism that took place in the US and France in a recent statement: “As the UN Focal Point for Monitoring Antisemitism and Enhancing a System-wide Response, the High Representative expresses his dismay at the horrific attack on peaceful demonstrators in Boulder, Colorado that injured twelve people. He also denounces the several acts of vandalism targeting three synagogues and the Shoah Memorial in Paris. These appalling incidents, targeting Jewish communities, their places of worship, institutions and properties are stark reminders of the persistence of hatred, bigotry, and intolerance in our societies. Such acts have no place in any society.”
Photo from Hadonos: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C3%A9morial_de_la_Shoah#/media/File:M%C3%A9m._de_la_Shoah_(Paris).jpg
