An Ugly First in the Heart of Paris

By COLlive reporter

Chabad in France was never deterred by anti-Semitism, and certainly not a swastika.

Congregants of Beth Lubavitch, headquarters of Chabad’s outreach activities in Paris, were shocked to see a Nazi cross on its front entrance on Monday.

It will be the first time the tucked-away building, accessed after a driveway from the rue Lamartine street in the city’s 9th District, was a target for a sign of anti-Semitism.

The event has been reported to the police which has opened an investigation.

But at Beth Lubavitch, which has daily minyanim, 14 different Torah classes, Judaica artifacts for sale and offices, employees have brushed off the news with the shrug of a shoulder.

This incident “has zero influence on our activities,” an employee said. “We obviously reported it to the police, but it’s very possible it was done by a bored young hooligan.”

Beth Lubavitch was inaugurated on 19 Kislev 5732 with the support of Toronto philanthropist Avraham Parshan and thanks to the efforts of legendary Rabbi Benzion Shemtov, both of blessed memory.

When Head Shliach Rabbi Shmuel Azimov brought the keys of Beth Lubavitch to the Rebbe, he received a blessing that the building should very soon be too small to fit all activities.

Beth Lubavitch has since grown to include 40 Chabad centers with some 170 Shluchim in Paris, a girls school bursting at the seams with 2,000 students, a boys cheder and an annual budget of roughly $25 million.

They are known not to shy away from public displays of Judaism, despite constant threats of anti-Semitism. A large Menorah at the Eiffel Tower, billboard advertisements of holidays and a Lag BaOmer parade in the street are among its regular activities.