Wave of Anti-Jewish Vandalism Strikes Paris Synagogues & Holocaust Memorial

By: Fern Sidman

A disturbing act of vandalism shook Paris’ Jewish community late Friday night, when four prominent Jewish heritage sites in the Marais district—long considered the historic heart of Jewish life in the French capital—were defaced with green paint in what local officials and community leaders are calling a calculated and hateful act of antisemitism.

According to a police report cited by French outlet RTL and echoed by Arutz Sheva, the desecrated sites included the revered Holocaust memorial, the Tournelles Synagogue, the Agoudath HaKehilot Synagogue, and the well-known Jewish eatery “Chez Marianne.” These acts were discovered by a police patrol shortly after 5 a.m. on Saturday morning.

The Tournelles Synagogue, one of the most significant Orthodox synagogues in Paris—serving both Ashkenazi and Sephardic congregants—had its facade smeared with green paint. At the Holocaust memorial nearby, security camera footage obtained by investigators and viewed by Arutz Sheva shows an individual clad in black defacing the site around 4:35 a.m., in an operation that appeared both premeditated and symbolic.

An open can of green paint was also recovered at the foot of the “Chez Marianne” restaurant, a local culinary institution that has long served as a symbol of Jewish cultural presence and resilience in the Marais. Though police have yet to formally announce a motive, officials and Jewish advocacy organizations have voiced alarm at the clear anti-Jewish sentiment conveyed through the targeted nature of these acts.

Ariel Weil, Mayor of Central Paris, condemned the attacks in a strongly worded post on X (formerly Twitter): “After the red paint, comes the green paint. This time, the gesture is more precise: a Holocaust memorial, synagogues, and a ‘Jewish’ restaurant. After all, it’s just heritage. And it’s sure to save lives. We know where ‘militant’ acts begin, but not where they end.”

The report at Arutz Sheva that appeared on Saturday noted the symbolic significance of the chosen targets—not random Jewish institutions, but locations deeply tied to Jewish memory, worship, and identity in Paris. The Holocaust memorial, in particular, stands as a solemn reminder of France’s wartime complicity in the deportation of Jews to Nazi death camps. Its desecration represents a gross violation of both historical truth and human dignity.

The French government was swift in its response. Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau released a public statement expressing “immense disgust at these heinous acts which target the Jewish community.” Minister for Gender Equality and the Fight Against Discrimination, Aurore Bergé, added: “Desecrating the Holocaust memorial and with it that of the victims of the Holocaust; desecrating and marking synagogues and a Jewish restaurant— the Republic will never allow this. I have spoken with the Paris Police Commissioner. Everything is being done to identify the perpetrators.”

This fresh wave of vandalism comes amid heightened anxiety within Europe’s Jewish communities, especially following a string of disturbing incidents targeting Jewish institutions and symbols. As Arutz Sheva has reported, earlier this week, suspicious envelopes were delivered to Israeli embassies in both Paris and Brussels, prompting immediate intervention by local security authorities. While the contents of the envelopes were ultimately deemed non-lethal, they contributed to a growing climate of fear and uncertainty.

The French capital, home to the largest Jewish community in Europe, has been the epicenter of repeated antisemitic episodes in recent years, ranging from physical assaults to the public defacement of Jewish sites. French Jewish leaders have persistently warned that these incidents are not isolated but part of a broader societal challenge, in which rising extremism—often masked as anti-Zionist activism—crosses the line into overt antisemitism.

In speaking with Arutz Sheva, one senior French Jewish communal figure, who asked not to be named, said: “What we are witnessing is not just vandalism—it is an attempt to erase Jewish identity from the public sphere, to intimidate, to instill fear. Green paint on a Holocaust memorial is not just paint. It’s a message.”

Authorities are currently reviewing additional surveillance footage from the surrounding streets and buildings, hoping to identify the suspect or suspects involved. The Paris Police Prefecture has stated that the investigation is ongoing and has pledged to deploy additional patrols to sensitive sites throughout the Marais and other Jewish-populated districts.

The vandalism has sparked renewed calls for stronger legislation and law enforcement efforts to combat hate crimes, with many asking whether France’s legal tools are adequate to deter escalating anti-Jewish acts.

The French Jewish community is preparing to regroup and heal. Vigils and public gatherings are already being planned in response to the attacks, and solidarity from both Jewish and non-Jewish residents of Paris is beginning to emerge.

For now, the desecrated green marks stand not only as evidence of a crime but as a jarring reminder that Jewish heritage remains under threat—even in the heart of a modern European capital. Yet, as Arutz Sheva emphasized in its coverage, so too does the resilience of a community that has weathered centuries of persecution and still stands with pride, resolve, and an unshakable sense of identity.