France: Rabbi assaulted on street after attending synagogue with son

Orléans Rabbi Arié Engelberg was violently attacked on Saturday as he was returning from his synagogue accompanied by his nine-year-old son.

According to several witnesses, the man was first insulted before being physically attacked in the middle of the street.

According to a video showing the incident that was viewed by local media, the attacker bit and hit the rabbi in the head, and then kicked and punched him on the ground. It was only once a passerby intervened that the assault ended, allowing the rabbi to walk away while the assailant fled.

Mr. Engelberg immediately filed a complaint at the Orléans police station. The public prosecutor, Emmanuelle Bochenek-Puren, confirmed that he had launched an investigation into the "intentional violence committed due to the real or presumed religious affiliation of the victim." The aggressor is still actively being sought by the police.

This attack has deeply shocked the local community. "There is currently a toxic and clearly antisemitic atmosphere in France, but I did not think that it would contaminate Orleans, which is a peaceful city," said Eliane Klein, local president of the respresentative council of French institutions (CRIF).

"Until now, we occasionally had graffiti, at most. I was hoping that this scourge would not reach Orléans. That's why it's all the more shocking," she added, highlighting the unprecedented nature of such antisemitic violence in the city.