"United" against anti-Semitism, "united" against intolerance and "united" in support of Rabbi Arié Engelberg. On Tuesday, March 25, three days after this Jewish religious leader was attacked in the street, 1,400 people, according to the police, marched in silence through the streets of Orléans, at the beheast of local associations and elected representatives.

"Not bad for a Tuesday night," summed up one participant, recalling the smaller procession – 200 to 300 people – that joined the national march "for the republic and against anti-Semitism" on November 12, 2023. However, the same participant added, "As usual, there are mostly white people and not many young people."

"With or without a kippah, same fight," proclaimed one of the signs brandished in the crowd, as if to confirm this insistence on unity. "After us, it will be you. We are the canary in the coal mine," said the president of the local Jewish community, André Druon, as the procession arrived, shortly before an impromptu "La Marseillaise," France's national anthem, rang out.

The violence of the assault on Rabbi Engelberg has stunned far more than the Jewish community. He was attacked on his way home from synagogue, after the Shabbat service. Following the insults, violent blows to the face and a bite to the shoulder, the rabbi was still in shock, said Druon, and his 9-year-old son, who accompanied him that day, even more so.

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