Early this morning, the Jewish community in Paris awoke to a painful sight: green paint defacing two synagogues, a Jewish restaurant, and France’s Holocaust memorial. These were not random acts of graffiti. They were calculated acts of intimidation—an attempt to stain memory, desecrate worship, and instill fear.
As Christians and Jews united for Israel, we stand against such vile acts of hatred.
We join French officials and people of goodwill around the world in condemning these cowardly attacks. As French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau stated, antisemitic acts now account for more than 60% of all anti-religious incidents in the country. This is not just a Jewish problem—it is a moral crisis that demands the voice and action of every believer in truth, dignity, and peace.
The targeting of Holocaust memorials is especially chilling. To attack a site built to remember unspeakable suffering is to deny the humanity of an entire people—and to ignore the lessons of history. We must remember so that it never happens again.
The Christian Scriptures declare, “Mourn with those who mourn” (Romans 12:15), and the Hebrew prophets call us to “seek justice, correct oppression” (Isaiah 1:17). In this moment, that means standing shoulder to shoulder with our Jewish brothers and sisters—grieving with them, praying for their protection, and speaking out in every space where antisemitism dares to show itself.
As we approach Shavuot—a holiday that reminds us of the giving of the Law at Sinai, and the birth of a people covenanted to God—we recommit ourselves to that covenant too: a covenant of righteousness, of justice, of peace.
Let the green paint not symbolize defilement, but awakening. Let it mark not shame, but solidarity. Let the world see that when one synagogue is desecrated, many hearts are moved—and millions stand up together to say: Never again. Not on our watch.