WJC condemns assault on French Jewish family, demands authorities be vigilant in defense of community

NEW YORK – World Jewish Congress President Ronald S. Lauder severely condemned the ghastly anti-Semitic assault of a French Jewish family in a Paris suburb on Thursday night, and demanded that French authorities treat this aggression with utmost severity and repercussion.

“The World Jewish Congress unequivocally condemns the ghastly anti-Semitic assault targeting a Jewish family in the Paris suburb of Livry-Gargan late last week. Our thoughts are with the victims and with the entire French Jewish community.

“French authorities must treat this heinous hate crime with utmost severity and penalize the aggressors in the harshest terms possible to bring justice to the victims and deter future violence of the kind.

“Anti-Semitic violence is running horrifically rampant in France. Jews are living in panic and fear, in apprehension of another attack. This must not be treated as an isolated incident and it must be deemed as the hate crime it is.

“The Jewish community is still awaiting justice for the macabre murder of Sarah Halimi five months ago. The French government has every responsibility to be vigilant in its defense each of its citizens. The Jews in France are proud citizens – they must be accorded with the protection and respect they deserve.”  

Three members of the family were kidnapped, tied up, brutally beaten and robbed on Thursday night in their home in the suburb of Livry-Gargan northeast of Paris. Prosecutors said that the investigation into the robbery would be expanded to look into possible racist motives.