Eric Hattab, president of the local branch of Crif in Grenoble,  questions the future of the Jewish community in France where anti-Semitic attacks are on the rise. “Today, we hide our Jewish identity, no one wears a kippah anymore, we remove the mezuzah, we avoid being recognized,’’ adding that many Jews are considering leaving France, especially the younger ones.

Anti-Semitic graffiti and death threats were discovered on Thursday in several locations in the French city of Grenoble, according to media reports.

The facade of the offices of Hervé Gerbi, a Grenoble lawyer and candidate in the municipal elections under the Horizons banner, as well as the premises of the local office of Crif, the representative Council of France’s Jewish institutions, were targeted. Hervé Gerbi and the Crif announced their intention to file a complaint.

The graffit read “a slow and painful death to every member of the Crif” and “fuck the CRIF.’’

Hervé Gerbi, who chaired the Grenoble branch of the Crif until 2024, responded in a statement: “I am aware that there are still voters to be convinced. The message written on the door of my office is an illustration of this. We must convince people that security is the first of freedoms and that secularism is our common good.”

Eric Hattab, head ofg Crif in the region, who is also a lawyer in Grenoble Ba, denounced the antisemitic intimidation. “It doesn’t scare me at all. If they’re trying to intimidate me, it’s a waste of time. I will continue my mission to serve the Jewish community in Grenoble without letting these threats and graffiti deter me,’’ he said, adding that he has confidence in the police who are already investigating the case.

He questions the future of the Jewish community in France, where anti-Semitic attacks are on the rise. “Today, we hide our Jewish identity, no one wears a kippah anymore, we remove the mezuzah, we avoid being recognized,’’ adding that many Jews are considering leaving France, especially the younger ones.

“Entering a synagogue wondering if there will be an attack is unprecedented and unbearable,” he said, calling for a national uprising against hatred.

Mayor of Grenoble, Eric Piolle, from the Green party, said he was “deeply shocked by the anti-Semitic graffiti and death threats.’’ “We must continue to fight this poison that is anti-Semitism with all our strength, without respite,” he said in a statement.