THE HAGUE (JTA) — French police said they were investigating death threats made on Facebook against the country’s chief rabbi.
Polices said over the weekend that they are looking for people connected to a photomontage disseminated through Facebook that shows Rabbi Gilles Bernheim with a revolver pointing at his head. The picture shows Bernheim wearing a Star of David on his forehead.
A lighter labeled as containing Zyklon B — the compound used in Nazi gas chambers — is being held up to his nostrils.
“Don’t worry, Bernheim, I won’t deport you. I just want you to breathe in the content of this lighter,” a caption reads. The photomontage is signed by Bakala LBD.
Bakala LBD is the name of a Facebook user whose page offers profanities about Israel and maps that purport to depict the expansion of the Jewish presence in Israel and the West Bank. It also offers photos of the French comedian known as Dieudonne, founder of the French Anti-Zionist Party. Dieudonne has been convicted several times of hate speech because of anti-Semitic statements.
CRIF, the umbrella organization representing French Jewish communities, condemned the threats.
“Anti-Semitism is not an atmosphere. It kills,” Ron Rafaeli of SPCJ, the security service of France’s Jewish communities, said last week at the European Parliament in Brussels.
Help ensure Jewish news remains accessible to all. Your donation to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency powers the trusted journalism that has connected Jewish communities worldwide for more than 100 years. With your help, JTA can continue to deliver vital news and insights. Donate today.
