The rabbi of Orléans, France, was violently attacked in front of his son while returning from synagogue on Saturday, French news outlets France 3 and France Bleu reported.
According to the reports, Rabbi Arié Engelberg was on his way back from the synagogue at 1:30 p.m. - accompanied by his 9-year-old son - when he was kicked and punched, bitten on the shoulder, and insulted.
He reportedly sustained wounds to the head. A witness to the incident shared footage with France Bleu Orléans radio.
According to France Bleu, a passerby intervened, and the attacker left the scene.
Rabbi Engelberg immediately filed a complaint with the Orléans police station.
Response to the attack
"We are appalled, outraged," said Joëlle Gellert, president of the International League Against Racism and Antisemitism in Loiret (LICRA)."Racism is not an opinion but a crime," she added.
President of CRIF for France's central region, Eliane Klein, called the incident "appalling."
"There is currently a poisonous and clearly antisemitic atmosphere in France, but I didn't think it would contaminate Orléans, which is a peaceful city. Until now, we had graffiti from time to time, at most. I hoped that this gangrene wouldn't spread to Orléans. That's why it's all the more shocking," Klein said.
Yonathan Arfi, the head of CRIF, sent his support to the rabbi, calling the incident a "cowardly and violent attack in front of his 9-year-old son."
Pascal Tebibel, the vice president of Orléans Métropole, wrote on X/Twitter that he was "deeply shocked by the antisemitic attack on Rabbi Arié Engelberg in Orléans."
"Hate has no place in our society. Solidarity with the Jewish community. Let us not remain silent in the face of the intolerable," he wrote.
The public prosecutor of Orléans told France 3 Centre-Val de Loire that she had opened an investigation into "intentional violence committed because of the victim's real or supposed religious affiliation."
French President Emmanuel Macron commented on the incident in a Sunday Twitter/X post. "The assault on Rabbi Arié Engelberg in Orléans shocks us all. I extend my full support, as well as that of the Nation, to him, his son, and all our fellow citizens of Jewish faith," he wrote.
"Antisemitism is a poison. We will not give in to silence or inaction," he added.
Orléans community
According to unofficial Jewish figures, the community in Orléans is small, numbering about 400 people.Rabbi Engelberg is a prominent figure in the Orléans Jewish community, having lived there since 2018, according to a 2020 interview with Hassidout.
The Chabad-Lubavitcher rabbi told Hassidout about the many different elements of Jewish life upheld in the community, including Torah study, kosher meat, a synagogue, bar mitzvah preparation, public lighting of the candles during Hanukkah, and more.
"Two young women from Paris teach our children all week, and on Wednesdays, about 10 children receive Talmud and Torah lessons," Rabbi Engelberg continued, adding at the time that he planned to construct a mikveh (ritual bath) and expand the synagogue.
He also has a YouTube channel, @arieengelberg756, where he posts videos about Parashat Hashavua (weekly Torah portion), Jewish life, and the Orléans community.
