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In a brazen antisemitic assault that has shaken France and sent shockwaves across the Jewish world, five Jewish-linked sites in Paris — including a national Holocaust memorial, three synagogues, and an Israeli restaurant — were defaced with green paint in the early hours of Saturday morning.
The coordinated vandalism targeted the Wall of the Righteous at the Paris Holocaust Memorial, which honors 3,900 individuals who risked their lives to save Jews during the Holocaust. Also defaced were the Tournelles, Agoudas Hakehilos, and Belleville synagogues, as well as the Israeli restaurant Chez Marianne — located in Jewish neighborhoods across Paris, including the historic Marais district.
Security footage reportedly shows a man dressed in black spray-painting the Holocaust Memorial around 4:30 a.m. No arrests have been made as of Sunday, but authorities confirmed the investigation was ongoing and included a potential religious hate motive.
“I am deeply disgusted by these heinous acts targeting the Jewish community,” said French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau, who had already called for increased security at Jewish institutions ahead of the Shavuot holiday.
“Antisemitic acts account for over 60% of all anti-religious acts in France,” he noted.
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo condemned the attacks as “acts of intimidation” and vowed the city would file a formal complaint.
“Antisemitism has no place in our city or in our Republic,” she declared.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog, whose great-grandfather Rabbi Joel Herzog built one of the vandalized synagogues, also voiced outrage: “I call on the French authorities to act swiftly and decisively to bring the attackers to justice, and to protect the Jewish community from any manifestation of hatred or violence.”
“We Cannot Give Up”: A Voice from France’s Jewish Community
Shannon Seban, Advisor on European Affairs at the Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM), was attending the Nice Book Festival to promote her new book Française, juive, et alors? (“French, Jewish—So What?”) when the news broke. In a deeply personal response, she captured both the exhaustion and the unshakable resolve of many in the French Jewish community.
Just minutes earlier, readers with grave expressions asked:
“Ms. Seban, do you still believe? Antisemitism is becoming the norm, it’s resurfacing everywhere. Isn’t it already too late?”
She responded:
Yes, I still believe. We must. We cannot give up. In the face of the normalization of antisemitism and hatred, we must be more united and determined than ever. It’s when things are tough that we must stay.
Later, Seban admitted:
Tonight, I waver. I doubt. I am overwhelmed.
How could I not be? How could I not be outraged by these vile acts?…
How could I not be angry at those political leaders who, in our country, fuel this hatred of Jews for pure electoral gain?
Still, her message turned from anguish to defiance:
No, we must not give in.
No, we must not grow accustomed.
No, we must not resign ourselves.
Antisemitism is a deadly poison…
Every antisemitic attack is an attack on the Republic itself.
Parce que j’avais besoin d’écrire.
Parce que j’ai besoin de partager avec vous les instants de joie, d’engagement, d’espoir – mais aussi ces moments de découragement, de colère et d’épuisement. Ces moments où tout vous pousse à baisser les bras. À croire que tout est perdu. Que… pic.twitter.com/Lsw6zcBJFv
— Shannon Seban (@ShannonSeban) May 31, 2025
A Broader Pattern of Hate
In May 2024, a man armed with a knife and a metal bar set fire to a synagogue in Rouen. That same month, red hand prints were smeared across the Wall of the Righteous at the Paris Holocaust Memorial — an act authorities suspect may have been part of a foreign-led operation. In June 2024, a 12-year-old Jewish girl was raped in Courbevoie by three teenagers in an attack reportedly accompanied by antisemitic slurs.
These incidents followed an October 2023 episode in which 250 blue Stars of David were stenciled on buildings across Paris. Investigations suggest possible foreign interference, with evidence pointing toward Russian involvement.
The trend is undeniable — and dangerous. Since the Hamas-led massacre in Israel on October 7, 2023, in which 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 taken hostage, antisemitic rhetoric and violence have surged across Europe. A recent EU survey found that 76% of European Jews now avoid wearing religious symbols in public—a 30% increase from 2013.
CAM stands in full solidarity with the French Jewish community. These are not just attacks on Jews — they are assaults on democracy, memory, and the moral foundations of civilization itself.
