The home of a longtime Chabad shliach in Grenoble, France was firebombed on a recent Shabbos afternoon, leaving the structure in ruins and a family of nine—including young children and grandchildren—shaken but miraculously unharmed.

According to family members who spoke to YWN, the assailants hurled incendiary objects into the two-story apartment of Rabbi Yichya and Rebbetzin Batsheva Lahiany, just ten minutes after the last family member left for a Shabbos meal that had originally been planned in the house. Fire accelerants were later discovered at the scene by police, confirming the fire was intentionally set.

Despite clear signs of a targeted and premeditated arson attack, local authorities have so far declined to label the crime as antisemitic.

“This is typical of the French government, which continues to downplay hate crimes against Jews,” the relative told YWN. “Even now, as we try to pick up the pieces, people yell ‘dirty Jew’ at us when we go back to the scene.”

The Chabad rabbi, who leads the only Jewish school in Grenoble—a major city in southeastern France—has faced a torrent of threats, vandalism, and harassment since the October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel. But family members say the situation has escalated to a breaking point.

“There were nine children, grandchildren, and adults in the house earlier that day,” said a relative. “Had they followed their original plans and stayed home for the meal, this would almost certainly have ended in mass murder. The timing was not random—someone knew.”

French authorities took several days to confirm the fire was criminal in nature. But even now, despite the shliach’s documented history of being targeted and the timing of the attack, no antisemitic motive has been formally recognized.

Among the wreckage of the destroyed home, a pair of tefillin was found completely incinerated, but a photo of the Lubavitcher Rebbe remained untouched.

As the family scrambles to find housing and security, a fundraiser has been launched to help rebuild their lives and provide year-round armed protection for the school headed by the shliach. Organizers hope to raise enough to secure a new apartment and ensure that the Jewish population in Grenoble, already on edge, is protected going forward.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)