PARIS (BN24) — French prosecutors have opened an investigation after an Israeli rabbi told President Emmanuel Macron to “prepare his coffin” in response to France’s recognition of a Palestinian state.
In a July 24 YouTube sermon, Rabbi Daniel David Cohen described Macron’s decision as not only an attack on the Jewish people but a “declaration of war on God,” asserting divine ownership over the land of Israel.
“This French president, we must let him know, he has every interest in preparing his coffin,” Cohen said, comparing Macron to Roman Emperor Titus, who according to rabbinic tradition died from divine retribution. He also predicted France would collapse like Iran and urged Jews to flee before its downfall.
French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said he referred Cohen’s comments to prosecutors and moved to block the video’s circulation. The Paris Prosecutor’s Office confirmed it has launched an inquiry.
Chief Rabbi of France Haim Korsia called the remarks “intolerable,” stressing that Cohen has never held a rabbinical role in France and was neither trained nor certified by its rabbinical school. Yonathan Arfi, president of the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions of France (CRIF), also condemned the threats as “hateful and unacceptable,” adding they had “no connection” to official Jewish institutions in the country.
Jewish educational platform Torah-Box, which had previously featured Cohen’s teachings, said it had never published the video in question and removed him from its list of contributors over the weekend.
According to a 2023 profile on Rav Dori Connection, Cohen was born in Algeria, moved to France after the end of French colonial rule in North Africa, and emigrated to Israel in 1976.
