National Unity MK Haskel's 88-year-old grandmother beaten in attack in France

National Unity MK Sharren Haskel’s grandmother was severely beaten in an attack in a northern Paris suburb Saint-Brice-sous-Forêt last Monday, the Israeli politician told The Jerusalem Post on Thursday.

The 88-year-old woman was on her way to a blood test in a Jewish neighborhood when she was attacked from behind by two “Arab thugs,” Haskel said.

My 88-year-old grandmother was attacked by Arab thugs, and I have no hope that the French authorities will be able to deal with this.

— Sharren Haskel השכל שרן (@SharrenHaskel) July 4, 2024

 The MK’s grandmother was punched, pushed to the ground, spat on and called a “dirty Jew.” The Representative Council of Jewish Institutions of France (CRIF) said on Wednesday that she was also called a “dirty old woman,” and told “this is what you deserve.”

The attack left Haskel’s grandmother with broken teeth, bruises all over her body, and pain. She was on her way to the hospital on Thursday for police filing, which CRIF was guiding. CRIF said Wednesday that a police investigation had been opened. Haskel has not been in touch with any French officials about the incident.

Haskel said that she had been hesitant to publicize the incident because there were gangs of Arab youths going to Jewish neighborhoods to harass residents, and she didn’t want a target placed on her grandmother’s back.

Protecting our own

The MK didn’t have hope that the French authorities would be able to catch the perpetrators or address the broader problems of antisemitism in the country, as “They have failed time after time to defend the Jews.” France had seen rising levels of antisemitism for years, and she had been spat on as a child by antisemites in France. Since October 7 the situation had become unbearable. France, said Haskel, now had anarchists and terrorism supporters calling for violence against Jews in the streets.

Haskel on social media accused the French government of allowing “the spread of blood libels against Israel on media, resulting in the Jewish community suffering from violence, rape, and murder.”

As the second round of parliamentary elections neared on Sunday, Haskel hoped that a new government might take a stronger legal stance against terrorist groups and redefine antisemitism, because anti-Zionism was being used to conceal Jew-hatred.

The situation for Jews in France was being mirrored in countries around the world, said Haskel, and only a few countries like Czechia and Germany were taking a stand. The MK called on Jews in the Diaspora to emigrate to Israel, their “national, cultural and historical home.”

The Israeli government had to aid in the fight against antisemitism, said Haskel, adding that there was too much talk and not enough action.

“It can no longer be a personal or civil initiative, the government needs to take an aggressive stand against antisemitism,” said Haskel, also noting on social media that “Jewish communities around the world are an integral part of us, and we have a great responsibility towards them.”

National Unity MK Gideon Sa’ar expressed his dismay about the attack on X on Wednesday, calling on French authorities to bring those responsible to justice.

CRIF said on social media that the incident highlighted “the reality of antisemitism in France,” in which young and old were “attacked daily because of their Jewish identity.”