Jews for Jesus office in Paris defaced with antisemitic graffiti

The Jews for Jesus office in Paris, France, was defaced by antisemitic images this week. This act of vandalism joins a slew of others carried out against Jews or Jewish organizations in France – evidence of the alarming rise of antisemitism in the country. The spray-painted image is not only degrading and demeaning to Jews worldwide, but also a blatant destruction of property. Police were called in on Tuesday morning to launch a formal complaint and collect evidence.

The attack was discovered when the director of the French chapter of Jews for Jesus (JFJ), along with another colleague, arrived to meet with a Jewish woman seeking answers about the Messiah.

The daughter of two holocaust survivors, the woman, according to the JFJ director, “has been violently affected by painful acts of antisemitism.”

The National Council of Evangelicals of France (CNEF) issued a strong statement in response to the attack and asked for prayer not only for their team, but for all Jews in France.

“This morning, we invite all Christians to pray against the climate of hatred that exists today in France.”

“Despite the growing hatred, our team in Paris remains faithful to the mission: to share the Gospel with faith and determination. Please pray that we may be strengthened and protected in this difficult context, and that more Jewish people may discover peace in Jesus.”

Even Jews who believe in Jesus are not exempt from the alarming surge in antisemitic violence sweeping France, where reports of such incidents have risen by 1,000% in the last year alone – largely triggered by the Hamas invasion and attack on Gaza Envelope communities in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

This past weekend, Rabbi Arié Engelberg, from Orléans, France, was kicked, punched and bitten by a Palestinian youth while returning home from synagogue with his nine-year-old son.

Warnings of rising antisemitism in France had surfaced months earlier. In July 2023, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned about “manifestations and waves of antisemitism washing over France,” citing incidents such as the vandalism of a World War II memorial.

By November 2023, just one month after the Hamas attack, French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin noted that antisemitism and Jew-hatred were exploding in France.

The trend continued into 2024. In August, the French Jewish Community Protection Service (SPCJ) reported that antisemitism appeared to be the “new routine” in France.

In July 2024, ahead of the Paris Olympics, Israeli athletes received numerous death threats, prompting heightened concern within the Jewish community. Around the same time, Chief Rabbi Moshe Sebbag of the Grand Synagogue of Paris issued a sobering warning: “There is no future for Jews in France,” urging young people to “go to Israel or a more secure country.”

Just a few months later, in November 2024, French authorities deployed 4,000 police officers to secure a soccer match between France and Israel at the Paris Stadium. The decision followed a violent incident in Amsterdam, where Israeli fans were brutally attacked by mobs.