Paris synagogue, several Jewish-affiliated sites vandalized on weekend, antisemitic motive unlikely

Amid reports of incidents targeting Jewish sites in France, the SPCJ urged the Jewish community to exercise caution, avoid spreading unverified claims of antisemitism, and rely on official updates.

A synagogue in Paris's 19th arrondissement was among several Jewish-affiliated sites reportedly broken into or damaged over the weekend amid widespread riots across France, the Jewish community security organization Service de Protection de la Communauté Juive (SPCJ) said in a statement on Sunday.

The SPCJ issued the statement amid concerns about the spread of misinformation surrounding the incidents, urging France's Jewish community to exercise "caution and responsibility," refrain from circulating unverified reports, and rely on official communications from the organization and authorities.

Members of the Ohalei Yaakov congregation discovered that their temporary prayer space on Rue Burnouf had been ransacked when they arrived on Sunday morning. The congregation has been holding services at the location while its permanent synagogue on Rue Henri Murger undergoes renovations.

Prayer books, tefillin, and the contents of lockers and cupboards were found scattered across the floor following the overnight intrusion, according to the French Jewish news outlet IsraJ. The rabbi's office had also been ransacked.

Synagogue officials suspect attempted theft, do not rule out antisemitism

Although the circumstances and motive remain unclear, members of the congregation believe the intruders may have been searching for money rather than seeking to carry out an explicitly antisemitic attack. No antisemitic graffiti or inscriptions were reported at the scene, and the synagogue's Torah scrolls were left untouched.

"It really looks like an attempted robbery; you can see that those who did this were probably looking for money. The Torah scrolls weren't touched; we just found the items that were in the lockers on the floor," Raphael, a member of the Ohalei Yaakov synagogue committee, told IsraJ.

However, Raphael did not entirely rule out an antisemitic motive, raising the possibility that the intruders had deliberately selected the synagogue because it was a Jewish place of worship.

"Of course, it can't be a coincidence that they chose to target a Jewish place of worship. They must have thought that since it was a Jewish place of worship, there would be money there. Because it's a temporary building, there's no sign outside indicating a synagogue. This leads me to believe that those who broke in last night must have scouted the place, seen that Jews went there for prayers."

Raphael said the congregation observed a peaceful Shabbat, with services proceeding normally and no riots nearby. He suggested that an attack motivated primarily by antisemitism would likely have involved more extensive destruction, including damage to Torah scrolls or antisemitic graffiti.

In a message to congregants, the Ohalei Yaakov committee said there were no signs of forced entry and urged members to be more vigilant about securing the premises.

"We noticed that there was an attempted theft, probably by people looking for money. Some lockers were emptied. NOTHING WAS STOLEN OR VANDALIZED. THERE ARE NO SIGNS OF FORCED ENTRY EITHER," the message read.

Jewish-owned businesses damaged amid nationwide unrest

In Marseille, several businesses sustained damage during Saturday's demonstrations, including some owned by Jewish individuals.

However, there was no evidence indicating that the businesses had been singled out because of their owners' Jewish identities or that the damage was motivated by antisemitism.

The incidents occurred as France experienced some of its most serious civil unrest in years, with demonstrations over rising living costs and deteriorating public services escalating into violence, looting, and attacks on public buildings across the country.