(JTA) – France’s Interior Minister Gerard Collomb condemned an antisemitic attack in which a French Jewish leader and his family were assaulted in their home. The statement issued by Collomb’s office reiterated the French government’s determination “to do everything to combat every form of racism and antisemitism, which have no place in the French Republic.”

In the attack Thursday night, Sept. 7, three men broke into the home of Roger Pinto, the president of Siona, a group that represents Sephardic Jews. The attackers beat Pinto’s son and wife in the home in the northeastern suburb of Livry Gargan, the Dreuz news website reported Sept. 10. One of the attackers said: “You Jews have money,” according to the family members. The Pintos were taken to hospital for treatment. They suffered some minor injuries and were deeply traumatized, the report said.

The incident, one of several cases in France in recent years in which criminals apparently singled out Jews based on the belief that they have money, provoked condemnations from the CRIF umbrella group of French Jewish communities and the National Bureau of Vigilance Against Anti-Semitism.

“We appreciated the important words of the French Government in trying to make Jews feel safe in their country,” Dr. Moshe Kantor, president of the European Jewish Congress, said in a statement. “However, it doesn’t appear that much has changed on the ground for French Jews who are still regularly attacked.”

CAP: Gerard Collomb