French Jewish Man Assaulted in Antisemitic Attack While Returning from Mikveh

A 67-year-old Jewish man was violently assaulted in Yerres, a town in the Essonne department of France, on Saturday morning, in what authorities and Jewish leaders have described as a blatantly antisemitic attack, reports The Jerusalem Post.

The victim, Gilles Cohen, was wearing a kippah and returning from the mikveh (ritual bath) when he was ambushed from behind. The assailant shouted “Dirty Jew, we will kill you!”, then proceeded to beat Cohen and search him for money and synagogue keys, according to media reports.

The Évry public prosecutor’s office confirmed that a passerby intervened and rescued Cohen. The attacker fled the scene. An investigation is underway for attempted violent theft motivated by religious hatred, death threats, and causing more than eight days of medical incapacity.

Cohen was left visibly injured. “His eye is very, very swollen,” said Mendel Gourevitch, director of the Yeshiva in Brunoy, a nearby commune. Remarkably, despite his injuries, Cohen still attended the Sunday morning prayer service.

The assault has drawn widespread condemnation across France. Antoine Léaument, MP for the district and a member of La France Insoumise (LFI), said: “The insults uttered during this attack leave no doubt about its antisemitic motive. The perpetrator must be found and tried.”

Yonathan Arfi, President of CRIF, France’s umbrella Jewish organisation, highlighted that this incident is not isolated but part of a broader surge in antisemitic violence. He cited recent attacks on rabbis in Orléans, Deauville, Neuilly, and Levallois, noting: “No one will uproot the Jews from France. But it is high time to uproot the antisemitism that is festering in society, using a conflict 3,000 km away as a pretext.”

The attack in Yerres follows a sharp rise in antisemitic incidents across France since the outbreak of the Israel–Hamas conflict in October 2023. Jewish communities continue to report growing insecurity and hostility, particularly towards visibly Jewish individuals.