by Worthy News Washington D.C. Europe Staff
PARIS (Worthy News) – A disturbing surge in antisemitic attacks has swept across France in recent days, triggering alarm among Jewish communities and prompting renewed calls for urgent government action.
The latest series of incidents comes amid heightened security following last month’s antisemitic shooting in Washington, D.C., yet has failed to stem a wave of assaults, vandalism, and threats targeting Jews across the country.
On Friday, Rabbi Eli Lemel, a respected Jewish leader, was assaulted by three intoxicated individuals in Deauville, Normandy. The attack occurred in broad daylight, with the assailants allegedly punching Lemel in the stomach while hurling antisemitic slurs. Police have opened an investigation, though no arrests have yet been made.
“I was struck and verbally abused in a language I didn’t understand,” Lemel said in a post on X, adding that he was “deeply moved” by the outpouring of support and urging fellow Jews to find spiritual strength amid rising hostility.
The next day, in Conflans-Sainte-Honorine, a 21-year-old man was arrested for climbing a synagogue, tearing down an Israeli flag, and attempting to set it ablaze. The suspect, who reportedly confessed while intoxicated, faces charges of religiously motivated vandalism and trespassing.
“We express our solidarity with the Jewish community directly targeted by these unacceptable acts,” said Sandrine Dos Santos, mayor of nearby Poissy. “No form of racism or rejection of others has a place in our society.”
Meanwhile, three Serbian nationals were detained near Antibes, suspected of defacing Jewish buildings with green paint in Paris, including the city’s Holocaust Memorial, three synagogues, and a Jewish restaurant. French officials are investigating potential foreign interference in the coordinated acts of vandalism.
On Monday, an elementary school in Lyon was set on fire and defaced with swastikas and antisemitic, pro-Palestinian graffiti. Though the school has no Jewish affiliation, the attack adds to a growing list of incidents targeting Jewish symbols and institutions. Authorities confirmed the fire was limited in damage but found antisemitic slogans and symbols scrawled in classrooms.
Yonathan Arfi, head of CRIF (Representative Council of Jewish Institutions of France), condemned the attacks, blaming the radicalization of pro-Palestinian rhetoric.
“When a populist pro-Palestinian narrative is allowed to take hold, it is French Jews who ultimately pay the price,” Arfi posted on X. “The Nazification of Israel serves as fuel for crass antisemitism.”
In response to the rising violence, some prophecy teachers are pointing to the ancient words of Jeremiah as a possible explanation for these troubling developments. In Jeremiah 16:16, God declares, “Behold, I will send for many fishers… and after will I send for many hunters…”–a verse that has often been interpreted as referring to the different ways God would regather His people to the Land of Israel.
While past aliyah movements were fueled by Zionist passion or economic opportunity (the “fishers”), many believe the current wave of antisemitism in Europe represents the “hunters” — external pressures being used by God to drive the Jewish people back to their ancient homeland. As conditions worsen, some suggest, the biblical prophecy of Jewish return may once again be unfolding in real time.
France’s Interior Ministry has yet to issue a comprehensive response, but Jewish leaders are demanding immediate and decisive measures to counter what they describe as a dangerous escalation in antisemitic violence.
Copyright 1999-2025 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
Latest News from Worthy News
The Trump administration has escalated its maximum pressure campaign on Iran with a sweeping new round of sanctions targeting its shadow banking network, as President Donald Trump warned that Tehran is “slowwalking” its nuclear decision and that a definitive answer must come “in a very short period of time.”
Russia launched a massive overnight air assault on Friday, June 6, in one of the most intense attacks of the war, killing at least five civilians and injuring more than 70 across Ukraine. The barrage, which included over 450 drones and 45 missiles, caused widespread destruction in the capital Kyiv and at least eight other regions, Ukrainian officials confirmed.
U.S. job growth decelerated in May as employers navigated continued uncertainty over trade policy and fiscal wrangling in Washington, according to data released Friday by the Labor Department. The economy added 139,000 jobs last month, down from a downwardly revised 147,000 in April, but still above economists’ median forecast of 126,000.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) issued a public service announcement Thursday warning of an elevated threat to Jewish communities across the United States, citing a surge in targeted violence linked to the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict.
Israel has assured President Donald Trump that it will not carry out a military strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities unless the White House concludes that negotiations with Tehran have failed, according to Israeli officials cited by Axios.
Ukraine was under an ongoing Russian ballistic missile and drone attack early Friday, shortly after Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened retaliation for Ukrainian attacks on air bases deep inside Russia.
U.S. President Donald J. Trump praised Germany for spending more money on defense and, in a turnaround, pledged that he would not withdraw all remaining American troops from there.