The victim was hit on the head, bitten on the shoulder and insulted on Saturday afternoon on his way home from the synagogue.

The assaillant of Palestinian descent was arrested the same evening.

A 16-year-old teenager of Palestinian descent was arrested on Saturday evening on suspicion of violently assaulting a rabbi in the French city of Orléans earlier in the day, the city’s public prosecutor said.

The rabbi of Orléans, Arié Engelberg, was “hit on the head, bitten on the shoulder and insulted” on his way home from synagogue on Saturday afternoon. He was accompanied by his nine-year-old son.

The public prosecutor said an investigation had been opened into the assailant, who had fled, for “intentional violence committed because of the victim’s real or supposed religious affiliation”.

The assaillant, unknown to intelligence services, was arrested by police officers.

However, “the identity of the person in custody has not been established with certainty at this stage and is currently being verified”, said the public prosecutor. “He has declared an identity, without carrying the documents that establish it. Verifications are underway”, he said on Sunday.

Until now, Orléans had been rather spared from anti-Semitic acts, explained André Druon, president of the city’s Jewish community.

“Since at least October 7, we’ve had no incidents to report, apart from a few graffiti”, before this “very violent attack on the rabbi,’’ he told a French radio.

The assault on the rabbi prompted condemnations from French President Emmanuel Macron and Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar.

“The attack on Rabbi Arié Engelberg in Orléans shocks us all,” Marcon wrote on X. “I offer him, his son, and all our fellow citizens of the Jewish faith my full support and that of the nation. Antisemitism is poisonous. We will not give in to silence or inaction.”

Sa’ar wrote about the incident: “The resurgence of antisemitism in France and across Europe is not only alarming—it is a wake-up call to European governments, leaders and civil society.”

1,570 anti-Semitic attacks recorded in France in 2024

“No, anti-Semitism is not ‘residual’”, reacted Yonathan Arfi, President of the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions in France (Crif), on X on Saturday evening. “Those who minimize, relativize or justify hatred of Jews by a conflict 4000 km away bear a huge responsibility”, he wrote.

According to government figures, 1,570 anti-Semitic attacks were recorded in France in 2024, down 6% on 2023. In 62% of cases, these attacks represent anti-religious acts,” continues the Ministry, which points out that 65% of anti-Semitic acts involve attacks on individuals, which is not the case for other religions, where attacks on property are in the majority. Attacks on individuals are up by 3%.