Jewish woman hit in head with metal ball outside of Paris synagogue

79-year-old in stable condition after being hospitalized with cranial damage; World Jewish Congress says incident ‘part of a disturbing trend’; not clear who threw object

By JTA and ToI Staff 20 June 2019, 12:23 am

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Illustrative: Soldiers stand guard outside a synagogue in Neuilly sur Seine, outside Paris, France, January 13, 2015. (AP /Christophe Ena)

Illustrative: Soldiers stand guard outside a synagogue in Neuilly sur Seine, outside, Paris, France, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2015. (AP /Christophe Ena)

A 79-year-old Jewish woman was wounded outside a Paris synagogue when she was hit by a metal ball hurled at her head.

The victim was taken to the hospital with cranial damage and loss of blood. Her condition is stable, France Bleu reported Wednesday, a day after the attack in the French capital’s 11th District.

Witnesses outside the synagogue said they did not see where the ball was hurled from or by whom.

The World Jewish Congress said it viewed the incident as “part of a disturbing trend, not just in France but around the world.”

CRIF, the umbrella group of French Jewish communities, also condemned the “violent aggression.”

“We wish the victim a speedy recovery and call on the French authorities to do all in their power to bring the perpetrator to justice,” it said in a statement.

On Monday, a bowl full of water was hurled, possibly from an upper-story residential apartment, at worshipers leaving the same synagogue.