Israeli leaders reacted with shock and rage after a memorial marking the site of Strasbourg’s Old Synagogue, destroyed by the Nazis during World War II, was vandalized, apparently by anti-Semites.

Chairman of the Jewish Agency Isaac Herzog on Saturday expressed his dismay over the vandalism and called on France to “take severe action against the waves of hate against Jews.”

The desecration of the memorial for a synagogue that was destroyed by the Nazis during the Second World War should “shock the hearts of members of all faiths,” he added.

This latest anti-Semitic incident in Europe serves as “another signal in the chain of difficult events that are flooding European soil,” Herzog stated.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon tweeted: “Shocking images from Strasbourg. Anti-Semitic hatred and vandalism are on the rise in France and throughout Europe.”

“Declarations of solidarity are important, but they are not enough in order to combat this scourge. Now is the time to act and fight for tolerance and values!!” he demanded.

Deputy Chairman of the World Zionist Organization Yaakov Haguel said that “again we are witness to difficult events against French Jewry, this time at the memorial for a synagogue torched by the Nazis.”

“It is time to put anti-Semitism at the top of the list of priorities and to mobilize the nations of the world to deal with the malignant disease,” he declared.

While the incident can be treated as an act of individuals, Haguel said it was time to clearly say – this was an act of anti-Semitism.

This latest incident occurred just two weeks after some 100 Jewish graves were desecrated in the same city.

Last year, France saw a 74 percent uptick in anti-Semitic incidents with 541 anti-Semitic recorded in the country in 2018, a staggering spike over the 311 incidents recorded in 2017.