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A rabbi in France was assaulted on Friday for the second time this week, just days after five Jewish-linked sites were vandalized in Paris.
The latest incident occurred at a cafe in Neuilly-sur-Seine, a suburb to the west of Paris. Rabbi Elie Lemmel told Reuters he was hit in the head by a chair.
“I found myself on the ground, I immediately felt blood flowing,” Lemmel recalled. “Unfortunately, given my beard and my kippah, I suspected that was probably why, and it’s such a shame.”
Police said they were investigating the incident as a case of aggravated violence and that a suspect had been detained for questioning.
Last week, Lemmel was punched in his stomach by an unknown attacker in the Normandy town of Deauville.
“I condemn in the strongest possible terms the anti-semitic attack that targeted a rabbi in Neuilly today,” French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau posted on X on Friday. “Attacking a person because of their faith is a shame. The increase in anti-religious acts requires the mobilization of everyone.”
Former Prime Minister Gabriel Attal wrote, “This act sickens us. Antisemitism, like all forms of hatred, is a deadly poison for our society.”
Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) Advisor on European Affairs Shannon Seban commented, “What can I say? It’s like a bad movie… but it’s true. An unbearable reality, where not a day goes by without news of a new antisemitic attack. An antisemitism that is becoming commonplace, almost ‘trendy’ in certain circles, fueled and trivialized by a segment of the political class. It is high time that the fight against antisemitism be elevated to a major national cause. Before it’s too late.”
Le rabbin Élie Lemmel à nouveau agressé aujourd’hui, cette fois à coups de chaise en pleine rue, à Neuilly-sur-Seine. Quelques jours à peine après sa première agression à Deauville. Que dire ? On se croirait dans un mauvais film… mais c’est bien la réalité.
Une réalité…
— Shannon Seban (@ShannonSeban) June 6, 2025
Last Saturday, five sites in the French capital — including a national Holocaust memorial, three synagogues, and an Israeli restaurant — were defaced with green paint.
“Every antisemitic attack is an attack on the Republic itself,” Seban noted on X shortly after the vandalism was reported.
