Chief rabbi of Orléans assaulted in antisemitic hate crime, French authorities say
Rabbi Arié Engelberg is attacked while walking with son, suffering head injury; teenage suspect is arrested; Macron condemns incident as example of the ‘poison’ of antisemitism
The chief rabbi of Orléans, France was attacked and assaulted in the city on Saturday evening, in what French President Emanuel Macron described as a shocking example of the “poison” of antisemitism.
Rabbi Arié Engelberg was physically attacked and subjected to antisemitic slurs by an assailant, while walking with his young son in the center of the French city on Saturday evening, according to local media reports. Engelberg was struck on the head and bitten on the shoulder during the attack, a source following the case told AFP.
French authorities are treating the incident as an antisemitic hate crime.
Hebrew media reported that the rabbi, who suffered head injuries, was taken to hospital for treatment. His condition was described as stable but serious.
“The attack on Rabbi Arié Engelberg in Orléans shocks us all. I offer him, his son, and all our fellow citizens of the Jewish faith my full support and that of the nation … We will not give in to silence or inaction,” Macron wrote in a post on X.
“Antisemitism is a poison” he added.
WATCH: Rabbi Aryeh Engelberg, 45, the chief rabbi of Orléans (France) being violently attacked in front of his son while walking home from synagogue on Saturday afternoon. pic.twitter.com/WwItizbH2q
— Hen Mazzig (@HenMazzig) March 23, 2025
The suspect was arrested shortly after the assault and transferred to a psychiatric facility, Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin confirmed. “I condemn with the greatest firmness the antisemitic attack of the chief rabbi of Orléans,” he posted on X. “He has all my support. The suspect was arrested and placed in a psychiatric facility.”
Darmanin later added: “France cannot allow itself to become a stage for foreign tensions that fuel violence and antisemitism.”
Orléans’ mayor, Serge Grouard, condemned the “heinous and intolerable act,” describing it as “a serious attack on the values of our Republic.”
Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar also expressed shock about the attack, calling it “a vile and intolerable act,” in a post on X.
“The resurgence of antisemitism in France and across Europe is not only alarming — it is a wake-up call to European governments, leaders, and civil society,” Sa’ar added.
France is home to Western Europe’s largest Jewish population, with an estimated 500,000 Jews—approximately one percent of the national population. It is the third-largest Jewish community in the world, after Israel and the United States. That prominence has made France a frequent flashpoint for rising antisemitism, particularly during moments of heightened international conflict.
In recent years, antisemitic incidents have surged, with a sharp increase reported in 2023, after the October 7 Hamas attacks in Israel. These include physical assaults, threats, vandalism, and harassment, prompting alarm among Jewish communities and leaders.
According to figures released Sunday by the French Interior Ministry, 1,570 antisemitic acts were recorded in 2024, representing 62% of all religiously motivated hate crimes in the country. While that marks a 6% decrease from the previous year, the ministry noted that 65% of those acts targeted individuals directly — unlike anti-religious incidents against other faiths, which tend to involve property. Physical or personal assaults were up 3% year over year.
The Times of Israel Community.