Posted on 03/22/25
| News Source: JPost
The rabbi of Orléans, France, was violently attacked in front of his son while returning from synagogue on Saturday, French news outlets France 3 and France Bleu reported.
According to the reports, Rabbi Arié Engelberg was on his way back from the synagogue at 1:30 p.m. - accompanied by his 9-year-old son - when he was kicked and punched, bitten on the shoulder, and insulted.
He reportedly sustained wounds to the head. A witness to the incident shared footage with France Bleu Orléans radio.
According to France Bleu, a passerby intervened, and the attacker left the scene.
Rabbi Engelberg immediately filed a complaint with the Orléans police station.
"We are appalled, outraged," said Joëlle Gellert, president of the International League Against Racism and Antisemitism in Loiret (LICRA).
"Racism is not an opinion, but a crime," she added.
President of CRIF for France's central region, Eliane Klein, called the incident "appalling."
"There is currently a poisonous and clearly antisemitic atmosphere in France, but I didn't think it would contaminate Orléans, which is a peaceful city. Until now, we had graffiti from time to time, at most. I hoped that this gangrene wouldn't spread to Orléans. That's why it's all the more shocking," Klein said.