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TERROR IN FRANCE: 4 Jews Killed by Gunman

TOULOUSE, France — A father, his two children and another child are dead following a terrifying shooting in front of the Jewish high school in Toulouse, France this morning. The victims are Rabbi Jonathan Sandler, 30, his 3-year-old and 6-year-old sons Gabriel and Arieh and 8-year-old Miriam Monsonego, the children attended the Chabad Gan for children.

According to initial details, a man riding on a motorcycle opened fire on the Ozar Hatorah School at arond 8:10 am, as the students were arriving for the school day, and then fled the scene. The shooter reportedly used two weapons, one of which was automatic.

The incident claimed the lives of Rabbi Jonathan Sandler, 30, his 3-year-old and 6-year-old sons Gabriel and Arieh and 8-year-old Miriam Monsonego, daughter of school headmaster Rabbi Yaacov Monsonego. A 17-year-old has been seriously injured.

“The gunman shot everything in front of him, children and adults,” French Prosecutor Michel Valet said. “He chased the kids into the school.”

ZAKA’s Paris headquarters sent delegates to the school to assist authorities.

French Interior Minister Claude Gueant and French President Nicolas Sarkozy arrived in Toulouse at noon: “We are struck by the similarities between the modus operandi of today’s drama and those last week even if we have to wait to have more elements from the police to confirm this hypothesis,” Sarkozy said, adding that the shootings was an “abominable, frightening tragedy.”

Paris has ordered to increase surveillance and protection of Jewish institutions across France. French anti-terrorism prosecutors announced that they will investigate the shooting.

The Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem issued a statement saying that Israel was “horrified” by the attack.

Foreign Ministry Spokesman Yigal Palmor, expressed outrage at the killings: “We are following with great shock reports coming from Toulouse and we trust the French authorities will solve this crime and bring those responsible to justice,” he said.

Chief Rabbi of Israel Yona Metzger denounced the attack as well: “This was the brutal slaying of innocent people whose only crime was being Jews,” he said.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu added that “it is too early to determine what the background of the murderous act was, but it is impossible to reject the possibility that this act was driven by violent and murderous anti-Semitism.

”I have yet to hear any condemnation of the heinous murder from the UN, what I heard is that the UN Human Rights Council played hosted on this of all days, a Hamas representative,“ he said.

Chief Rabbi of France Gilles Bernheim expressed the Jewish community’s horror at the incident as well.

German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle expressed his ”deeply shock“ by the shooting: ”I am deeply shocked by this murderous attack“, he said, adding that Berlin offers its ”compassion and condolences“ to the victims and their families.

The shooting happened in the same region where a gunman on a motorbike opened fire on three uniformed paratroopers at a bank machine Thursday, killing two and critically wounding the other.

The attack in the town of Montauban occurred not far from the soldiers’ barracks. Four days earlier, a gunman on a motorbike shot and killed another paratrooper in Toulouse, about 30 miles away.

Authorities said at the time that forensic analysis showed that the same weapon was used in the shootings in Montauban and Toulouse.

French Ambassador to Israel Christophe Bigot told Ynet that he was ”shocked and horrified to learn of this barbaric act in Toulouse. We all want to express our solidarity with the Jewish community in Toulouse. This issues is taken to heart at the gravest levels.

“President Sarkozy and Ministry Gueant are flying to Toulouse and they will meet with the Jewish community leader.

”We of course want to express our empathy to the victims and assure our commitment to the safety of the Jewish community in France. We will find the man behind this barbaric act.“

The Conference of European Rabbis issued a statement saying the shooting was was a ”barbaric event,“ adding that the Jewish community will not be threatened.

The Jewish Federations of North America released a statement as well, expressing outrage at the incident.

“Words cannot describe the shock and outrage – and deep mourning – that result from a terror attack that is specifically directed at children,” the group’s CEO and President Jerry Silverman said. “We have long known that Jews can be targets of vicious attacks wherever they are in the world. And it is clear, that even today, in 2012, that statement remains true.”

France has Europe’s largest Jewish community, estimated at up to 700,000 people.

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17 Comments

  • Shame on France

    I blame the French. Antisemitism is on the rise there, Arabs are moving in by the thousands. It’s been cooking that way in Europe for YEARS! and they do nothing about it! How many stories have we heard, and now it’s come to this!!! there should be constant police surveillance of Jewish properties. And the French should have to answer to the world for this!!!

  • quote:

    France, which has one of the largest Jewish populations in Europe, had 389 reported acts of anti-Semitism in 2011, according to Representative Council of Jewish Institutions in France, known in French as CRIF.

  • France IS the PROBLEM

    BS”D
    This now has crossed the line. The anti semitism was not by one person, but by an entire nation, and out of that entire nation, one snapped.
    They all need to be calmed. Hashem Yinokem Damam.

    EVERY YEAR A WAKE UP CALL
    THE FOGEL FAMILY
    THIS FATHER AND HIS TWO KIDS
    LEIBY KLETZKY

    WAKE UP AM YISROEL. LIFE IS NOT A GAME, IF YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT TO DO FIND A RABBI, THATS WHY THEY LIVE AND DIE FOR US. WAKE UP.

  • french teacher

    I live in france, and i could tell you..
    You feel the hatred frenchies have against us.
    Every time something is happening in Israel or gaza, it’s just creazy to see the reactions…Those people around hate us…..we are living among wolves..
    I could tell you that today teaching was not easy…

  • Tobey

    Is there something we can do to reach out to these families and school children? An address?

  • Fred

    This is an outrage. The French must follow the example of Homeland America, who have street patrollers and intelligence setups everywhere, and act in fast due diligence. French Fries.

  • Fed Up

    Well it is happening once again, Jews are being attacked by nazis. That is right, arab terrorism is the same as nazism. Adolf Hitler would be real proud. Thank you gun control for preventing such an attack, oops my bad gun control allowed this to happen. I am sure that the nazi, who shot these Jews had illegal guns. It is time for the Jews of France and for that matter the rest of the world to arm themselves. This case is a perfect example of gun control gone mad. Gee, I wonder if the communist mainstream U.S. media will report this story at all. Do not count on the pro-arab N.Y. Times to make this story a big issue. Instead, that paper will probably have a three sentence article about the attack on page 87. And even worse, the media in the people’s republic of San Francisco Californa will probably make the gunman out to be the victim and the Jews responsible for the attack. Wake up Europe and the rest of the world, arab antisemites are nazis, not poor oppressed third world people like they claim.

  • SCARY!!

    it might be a serial killer last week a man on a motorcycle killed 3 soldiers of african background in the same city

  • Bubby S.

    Open your eyes. Antisemitism is on the rise EVERYWHERE, including here in Canada and the U.S. Antisemitic incidents have risen alarmingly as has the percentage of those who hold antisemitic views. Arabs and Muslims number substantially among the loathsome, but there are many others among the guilty. Europe (and France in particular) has always been infected and infested with Jew-hatred. In the U.S., in the 40’s, nearly half the population held antisemitic views. And look who’s sitting in the White House. Even those considered to be the “good” and “friendly” presidents were revealed to have held private antisemitic views. Antisemitism is sick and it’s cyclical. We all know that only our fervently awaited Moshiach can resolve this! Meanwhile, we need to protect ourselves and our families. Yidden need a gun, a passport, and a plan. Don’t depend on the government.

  • Moishie

    R“L! Boruch Dayan H”Aemes!
    As we bentched Rosh Chodesh this past Shabbos: May HKB”H Bentch Klal Yisrael BICHIOL MAKOM SHEHAIM: l’tova v’livracha, l’sasson ul’simchah, and especially now L’yisha ul’nechama!

  • a worried citizen

    antisemitism is still everywhere, i don’t think france is to blame. this is a deeper issue

  • Yael

    HYD.
    Please Daven for: names of wounded:
    Aharon ben Lea
    Aharon ben Esther
    Chai Nissim ben Aziza

  • Andrea Schonberger

    Boruch Dayan Emes. Unfortunately guns are everywhere. It’s getting to the point that I’m very cautious when I’m out in public, especially driving as there is so much road rage out there and many drivers have conceled weapons–I tend to avoid looking at the other drivers as I’m afraid they might shoot me for looking at them crosseyed. We need MOSHIACH now!!!