New York, NY, September 8, 2008 … The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) today strongly condemned the beating of three identifiably Jewish teenagers in Paris and called for greater security for France's Jewish community as the High Holidays approach.

French authorities have characterized the assault -- involving three Jewish youths wearing yarmulkes -- as anti-Semitic.  It was the second anti-Jewish assault to take place in the 19th District in three months and was quickly denounced by government officials, with Interior Minister Michele Alliot-Marie and Paris Mayor Bertrand Delanoë calling for increased security and the immediate arrests of the perpetrators.

"In light of this incident, the previous attack and the approaching Jewish High Holidays, it is especially important for the government of France to ensure that the Jewish community is safe from harm," said Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director.  "We have every confidence that the government and the law enforcement community are taking the assault seriously and will ensure that the community feels secure during the High Holy Days and every day."

The attack occurred on September 6 as a group of three Jewish teenagers was walking to synagogue, according to the Representative Council of French Jewish Institutions (CRIF).  The incident reportedly started when one of the Jewish teenagers was hit by a rock.  The Jewish youths were set on by a group of five or six teenagers, who hit them repeatedly, leaving them bruised and suffering fractures and other non-life threatening injuries.

On June 23, Rudy Haddad, 17, was severely beaten by a group of men wielding iron bars in the 19th District several blocks from the site of the most recent attack.  Haddad suffered from several broken ribs and a fractured skull in an attack that was also deemed as anti-Semitic.

The Anti-Defamation League, founded in 1913, is the world's leading organization fighting anti-Semitism through programs and services that counteract hatred, prejudice and bigotry.