Security guards patrol near a synagogue in Paris. Photo: Anach Infos.

JNS.org – Two Jewish brothers were severely beaten on Saturday night outside of a synagogue in a Paris suburb.

The brothers, ages 18 and 21, were wearing yarmulkes and heading to Chaare Tsion Synaogue in Créteil when they were reportedly beaten with brass knuckles by two attackers who later fled by foot and bicycle, respectively. The brothers suffered multiple contusions and were hospitalized in serious, but not life-threatening, condition.

French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said he condemned the attack “with the utmost severity,” and noted France’s “unwavering determination to fight those who, by their murderous acts or foul words, propagate racism and anti-Semitism and undermine the cohesion that our society needs more than ever.”

The incident came just hours after a shooting that killed four people at a Jewish museum in Brussels.

“One anti-Semitic tragedy on the heels of another underscores the very real dangers for Jews today in the heart of Europe, even as we recognize that the governments stand steadfastly against any such manifestations,” said David Harris, executive director of the American Jewish Committee.