Odéon in Paris in Département de Paris, Île-de-France, France — Western Europe
Un Attentat Antisémite
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An Anti-Semitic Attack
| — | Histoire et Mémoire de Paris | — |
Photographed by Andrew Ruppenstein, April 12, 2025
1. Un Attentat Antisémite / An Anti-Semitic Attack Marker
Le 27 mars 1979, vers 12h30, une explosion d'origine criminelle se produit dans une cantine étudiante, le Foyer israélite. Ouvert en 1920 à l'initiative d'un « Comité de dames » présidé par Madame Gabrielle Bauer, l'épouse du directeur du Séminaire israélite, l'établissement offre aux étudiants et aux travailleurs juifs, venus d'Alsace-Lorraine ou de l'étranger, des plats casher à des prix modiques. Il sert aussi de bureau de placement pour ceux qui sont à la recherche d'un emploi et accueille leçons d'hébreu et conférences diverses.
Dans les années 1930, de nombreuses familles fréquentent le restaurant, notamment, à partir de 1933, des ressortissants allemands réfugiés à Paris. Le 7 décembre 1933, des militants antisémites en brisent les vitrines mais le Foyer continue à accueillir des réfugiés de toute l'Europe jusqu'à sa fermeture pendant la guerre. Rouvert en 1946, le Foyer reprend sa mission de cantine proposant des plats casher à bon marché. Il est agréé par les administrations sociales des restaurants universitaires et redevient un lieu de sociabilité pour de nouvelles générations d'étudiants, notamment d'Afrique du Nord à partir des années 1950.
Lorsque l'explosion a lieu, une cinquantaine de personnes est présente à l'intérieur du restaurant. La déflagration de la bombe, déposée sur un toit en verre près de la porte d'entrée, cause alors d'importants dégâts et fait une trentaine de blessés, dont plusieurs dans un état grave. Revendiquée par un groupe autonome dénonçant la présence sioniste en France et la signature, la veille, du traité de paix israélo-égyptien faisant suite aux accords de Camp David, cette attaque est la première d'une série d'attentats antisémites en Europe, dont celui de la rue Copernic (16 arrondissement) le 3 octobre 1980.
Here, on March 27, 1979, an anti-Semitic attack was perpetrated against the Foyer Israélite.
On March 27, 1979, at around 12:30 p.m., an arson attack occurred in a student cafeteria, the Foyer Israélite. Opened in 1920 at the initiative of a "Ladies' Committee" chaired by Madame Gabrielle Bauer, the wife of the director of the Séminaire Israélite, the establishment offered kosher meals at reasonable prices to Jewish students and workers from Alsace-Lorraine and abroad. It also served as an employment agency for job seekers and hosted Hebrew lessons and various conferences.
In the 1930s, many families frequented the restaurant, including, from 1933, German nationals who had taken refuge in Paris. On December 7, 1933, anti-Semitic activists smashed the windows, but the Foyer continued to welcome refugees from all over Europe until its closure during the war. Reopened in 1946, the Foyer resumed its mission as a canteen offering inexpensive kosher meals. It was approved by the social administration for university restaurants and once again became a social gathering place for new generations of students, particularly from North Africa, starting in the 1950s.
When the explosion occurred, about fifty people were inside the restaurant. The blast from the bomb, placed on a glass roof near the entrance, caused significant damage and injured about thirty people, several of them in serious condition. Claimed by an autonomous group denouncing the Zionist presence in France and the signing, the day before, of the Israeli-Egyptian peace treaty following the Camp David Accords, this attack was the first in a series of anti-Semitic attacks in Europe, including that of rue Copernic (16th arrondissement) on October 3, 1980.
Erected 2025
this page online
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Charity & Public Work • Notable Events. A significant historical date for this entry is March 27, 1979.
Location. 48° 50.916′ N, 2° 20.372′ E. Marker is in Paris, Île-de-France, in Département de Paris. It is in Odéon. It is on Rue de Médicis, on the left when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 5 Rue de Médicis, Paris, Île-de-France 75006, France. Touch for directions.
Regionally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, Europe, the European Union, Atlantic Europe, the Schengen Area, Western Europe, a coastal Mediterranean country, and the Western World. Historically, it finds itself in what was once a French colony and also the Roman Empire.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Knut Hamsun (within shouting distance of this marker); Paul Verlaine (within shouting distance of this marker); Blaise Pascal (1623 - 1662) (about 90 meters away, measured in a direct line); Blaise Pascal (about 90 meters away); Charles Aznavour (about 90 meters away); Victor Emile Michelet
Photographed by Andrew Ruppenstein, April 12, 2025
2. Un Attentat Antisémite / An Anti-Semitic Attack Marker - wide view
The marker is visible here by the drainpipe by the green awning.
Also see . . .
1. Foyer israélite (Wikipedia, in French). Excerpt (in translation):
The Foyer israélite located at 5 rue de Médicis in the 6th arrondissement of Paris, established on January 1, 1900 or in 1920, is a kosher restaurant. Next to the Luxembourg Gardens and the Place de la Sorbonne, it occupies a special place in the Parisian Jewish community. It was the target of an attack on March 27, 1979, resulting in twenty-six injuries, ten of them serious.(Submitted on April 12, 2025.)
2. Un panneau pour rappeler… (Mairie du 6eme, April 1, 2025, in French). Full title - Un panneau pour rappeler l'attaque terroriste du 27 mars 1979 = “A marker to commemorate the terrorist attack of March 27, 1979”. From the news release of the 6th Arrondissement Town Hall. Excerpt (in translation):
On March 27, 1979, at 12:30 p.m., Palestinian terrorists attacked a Jewish student residence on Rue de Médicis in the heart of Paris.(Submitted on April 12, 2025.)
On Thursday, March 27, Jean-Pierre Lecoq, Mayor of the 6th arrondissement, in the presence of Ariel Goldmann, President of the Unified Jewish Social Fund (FSJU), Richard Odier, Director General of the FSJU, Yonathan Arfi, President of the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions of France (CRIF), Karen Taïeb, and Laurence Patrice, unveiled a panel commemorating this attack.
3. Attentat foyer juif (YouTube, 1:36, in French). INA Histoire contemporaneous newsclip about the attack (Submitted on April 12, 2025.)
Additional keywords. antisemitism, Jewish, panneau
Credits. This page was last revised on April 15, 2025. It was originally submitted on April 12, 2025, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. This page has been viewed 129 times since then and 15 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on April 12, 2025, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California.
