Jewish organizations in France are differing over who might have been responsible for a fire which caused extensive damage to a Jewish-owned cafe in a Paris suburb last Sunday night and the motives behind the arson.
One group, the Union of Suburban Jewish Communities, is claiming that the arson was the work of anti-Semitic elements. But another organization, Jewish Revival, is cautioning against drawing conclusions before police end their investigation.
Police investigators said the fire was started by criminal elements but refused to ascribe a possible motive. The cafe owner, Joseph Attia, is the vice president of the Pavillon-Sous-Bois Jewish community. The area is rife with criminal elements and police say that racketeers are known to be active in most Paris suburbs.
The fire broke out when the cafe was closed and the Attia family, which resides in the same building, was not at home. Police investigators said they found empty gasoline cans on the site and nearby a daubing of a swastika and an anti-Semitic slogan.
Police, acting on the orders of interior Minister Gaston Defferre, have preventively reinforced their patrols in suburbs with large Jewish populations and have stationed radio cars near most local synagogues and communal centers.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
