A rabbi's car was set on fire, Jewish-owned shops were looted and a Chabad family was trapped inside its community center as violent riots swept through central Paris over the weekend. Yet despite the destruction, local Jewish leaders insist the violence was not specifically directed at Jews, describing the attacks as opportunistic looting rather than targeted antisemitism.
Rabbi Moyche (Moshe) Cohen, who runs a Chabad center near Place de la République, told Chabad.org that Jewish and non-Jewish businesses had been attacked alike. He said the rioters appeared more interested in stealing shoes, phones and glasses than in targeting any particular community.
France is still grappling with the aftermath of Saturday's demonstrations, which descended into some of the country's most destructive riots in decades. According to the French Interior Ministry, more than half a million people participated in approximately 110 marches nationwide. The protests, which began several weeks earlier with high school students, expanded to include labor unions and citizens protesting the rising cost of living.
The violence escalated as rioters took advantage of the demonstrations to loot businesses and set fires. Around 1,500 shops were vandalized, while government estimates put the number of businesses looted nationwide at at least 3,000. Nearly 2,400 people were arrested, and nighttime curfews were imposed in several areas.
Damage inside Rabbi Cohen's car after it was set on fire
(Photo: chabad.org)
Some of the worst violence in Paris was concentrated around Place de la République, where several emissaries of the Chabad-Lubavitch Jewish outreach movement live and operate community centers.
When Rabbi Meir Shlomo Lubecki stepped outside his Chabad center in Paris's 3rd arrondissement after the Jewish Sabbath ended Saturday night, the surrounding streets resembled a war zone. Cars, shops and bicycles had been set ablaze, leaving the neighborhood almost unrecognizable. Lubecki, whose center is a short walk from the square, told Chabad.org that he had never witnessed destruction on such a scale.
Warnings had circulated through the Jewish community before Shabbat began, but Lubecki had initially been reassured that regular activities could continue. That changed around midday Saturday, when members of the community's volunteer security service arrived and instructed those present to return home immediately as the situation around the square deteriorated.
Lubecki, his wife Chaya and their children remained inside the Chabad center. As violence spread through the surrounding streets, they locked the doors and stayed inside.
Rabbi Cohen, who has directed the Chabad center in the nearby 11th arrondissement with his wife Tzipora since 2010, also found himself at the center of the unrest. He said demonstrations had become a familiar sight near Place de la République since the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, with Hamas flags and those of other terrorist organizations sometimes appearing at rallies. Such demonstrations, however, generally did not lead to direct confrontations with Jewish residents.
Rabbi Meir Shlomo Lubecki visits a Jewish shopkeeper whose business was vandalized
(Photo: chabad.org)
This time was different. Cohen described groups of approximately 10 rioters carrying Molotov cocktails and clashing with police. He said the confrontation remained focused on security forces, allowing the Chabad community to avoid direct physical attacks.
But the destruction was extensive. After Shabbat ended, Cohen discovered that the windows of his car had been smashed and the interior set ablaze, leaving the vehicle destroyed. Other cars parked along the same street had suffered similar damage.
Lubecki and his family, meanwhile, left the Chabad center after nightfall and drove toward a quieter part of Paris. With masked rioters still moving through the streets, they crossed red lights rather than risk stopping their vehicle. According to Lubecki, other drivers were doing the same because they feared becoming trapped in the violence.
The contrast was striking when they reached a calmer neighborhood, where people were shopping and walking around as though nothing unusual had happened.
On Sunday morning, Lubecki returned to the Chabad center through streets still marked by burned vehicles and shattered storefronts. Inside, however, the community's routine had resumed. Morning prayers took place as usual, and children arrived for their religious lessons despite the destruction outside.
The two rabbis have since turned their attention to helping Jewish business owners whose shops were damaged or looted. Lubecki said he received calls from owners whose businesses had been burned, including one who sent photographs of the destruction and expressed particular anguish over losing treasured letters and telegrams he had received from the Lubavitcher Rebbe, the late spiritual leader of the Chabad movement.
Cohen has been organizing financial assistance to help business owners cover losses not included in their insurance policies. He has also sought to reassure members of the Jewish community, some of whom feared they had been deliberately singled out because of their religion.
Although Jewish-owned businesses were among those attacked, Cohen stressed that he had seen no indication that Jews had been specifically targeted during the riots. In his assessment, the violence was driven by looting rather than an organized antisemitic campaign.
Alongside the financial assistance, the Chabad emissaries have continued visiting community members, distributing mezuzahs, the small religious scrolls traditionally affixed to Jewish doorposts, and encouraging residents to maintain their faith despite the unrest.
Cohen said the community should neither give in to fear nor simply wait for government intervention. Instead, he believes the rabbis' responsibility is to strengthen people's faith, help them recognize God's presence even during painful experiences and continue supporting those affected by the violence.
For the Chabad emissaries, the message is one of determination: despite the burned vehicles, shattered businesses and frightening scenes that unfolded around their centers, they intend to remain in Paris and continue serving the local Jewish community.