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French rabbi beaten and bitten while walking home from synagogue

Chief rabbi of the city of Orléans beaten, kicked, and bitten while walking home from synagogue with his nine-year-old son.

By World Israel News Staff

The chief rabbi of a city in northern France was physically assaulted and bitten while walking back from prayers Saturday afternoon.

The incident occurred in the city of Orléans, as the rabbi of the local Jewish community, Rabbi Arié Engelberg, was returning home by foot with his nine-year-old son from a synagogue at approximately 1:30 p.m.

While the two were walking down the street, a young man approached Rabbi Engelberg, beating and kicking him.

During the confrontation, the assailant also bit Rabbi Engelberg on the shoulder.

After a passerby challenged the assailant, the suspect fled the scene.

Rabbi Engelberg suffered injuries to his head and shoulder during the attack.

A police complaint was filed in connection with the assault, and on Saturday night, authorities apprehended the suspected assailant, whom they identified as a 16-year-old with no prior criminal record.

Emmanuelle Bochenek-Puren, the local public prosecutor, launched an investigation into the attack, adding that the assault was being treated as a hate crime, noting that it featured “intentional violence committed because of the victim’s religious affiliation.”

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Orléans Mayor Serge Grouard issued a statement condemning the assault “in the strongest possible terms,” calling it a “heinous and intolerable act.”

Grouard accused “certain political parties and leaders” of turning a blind eye to antisemitism in France or fueling it with “shocking statements,” saying the behavior of both “legitimizes this dramatic shift.”

“When they spend their time stirring up tensions and maintaining ambiguous discourse about Jews, they cannot feign innocence in the face of rising antisemitic attacks,” Grouard said. “It is inconceivable that in France in the 21st century, a man could be targeted because he is Jewish.”