REPORTING. “It’s not up to the victims to change their place of residence,” says a victim of an anti-Semitic act

More than 1,700 anti-Semitic acts and remarks have been recorded in France since the start of the conflict between Israel and Hamas. It’s mostly about tags and insults. There are also some physical attacks. Among the many victims, Norbert, a father, a non-practicing Jew, who lives in the Paris region.

In their peaceful suburban neighborhood of Val-d’Oise, this family could have believed themselves to be sheltered from the consequences of the conflict between Israel and Hamas. And yet… In total, their house was stoned around ten times. But nothing from the neighbors. So Norbert inevitably made the link with his Jewish-sounding last name, written on the mailbox.

Complaints for not letting it go

A few days ago, Norbert and his wife managed to identify several of their attackers: teenagers from the neighborhood. Norbert and his wife filed a complaint. The Jewish Observatory of France became a civil party. The father of the family who defines himself as “non-practicing and secular” will not “let this pass”. He, the son of a deportee – his father experienced the concentration camps – is stunned by the situation: “When I see this resurgence of anti-Semitism, I tell myself that history is repeating itself.”

But despite these attacks, Norbert wants to keep his head held high: “We have been experiencing stress for a month. It is calming down with our actions, like this complaint. But we are not afraid and we do not want to move. It is not up to the victims to change their place of habitation, although it crossed our minds.”

Norbert and his family participated in the demonstration against anti-Semitism in Paris on November 12. “It did me a lot of good”he admits, before concluding with a smile: “I even walked alongside Alain Souchon!”