Caregiver on Trial in France for Allegedly Poisoning Jewish Family in Antisemitic Attack

PARIS — An Algerian nanny accused of poisoning a Jewish family in the Paris suburbs with household cleaning products is standing trial this week, Le Parisien first reported.

The caregiver, Leïla Y., 42, worked for the family from late 2023 until January 2024, caring for three children ages 2, 5 and 7. According to the report, the case came to light after the mother drank wine that tasted like chemicals and later noticed foam on a bottle of grape juice and a bleach-like smell in another bottle shortly after the nanny left the home.

Police found no one else had access to the house and seized several cleaning products, including an all-purpose spray and a bleach-based toilet cleaner. On February 3, the couple’s 5-year-old daughter told her mother she had seen the nanny pour a soapy liquid into a bottle of alcohol.

Toxicology tests later detected polyethylene glycol (PEG) and other corrosive agents in wine, whisky, fig alcohol, grape juice and even pasta. According to the court referral order, the substances were “harmful, even corrosive” and capable of causing serious digestive injuries.

The nanny was arrested on February 5, 2024, and later confessed, allegedly telling investigators she did it “because they have money and power.” Prosecutors say the poisoning was motivated by antisemitism; the suspect has since partially retracted her statements.

The case is being heard in Nanterre Criminal Court. Jewish community leaders, including CRIF President Jonathan Arfi, have called it an example of rising antisemitic violence in France.