Jewish Communities Show Solidarity with France

Jewish communities and individuals around the world expressed their solidarity, support and prayers for the French people on Saturday evening after a series of coordinated terrorist attacks in Paris on Friday night killed 129 people and injured more than 350 others, 99 seriously, in what French President François Hollande called “an act of war by ISIS.”

The massacres were carried out by three teams of coordinated attackers, including a terrorist who traveled to France from Syria along with tens of thousands of other migrants, according to chief French prosecutor François Molins.

Although there were no reports of Jewish fatalities as of Saturday evening, France’s Jews remained on high alert throughout the Sabbath and afterward. For the first time since World War II the borders of France were entirely closed. In Paris, residents were asked to stay indoors, and police warned worshipers who gathered in synagogues for Sabbath morning prayers.

Rabbi Moshe Cohen, co-director of Beth Loubavitch Paris 11, in one of the neighborhoods where the attacks took place, was concluding his Sabbath evening meal at home with his family and guests when they heard non-stop sirens at around 9 p.m. “I realized that something very unusual was happening, there were so many police, fire trucks and ambulances in the streets.” One of his guests went out to see what was happening and returned to report that the streets were closed off and police told him that there were terrorist attacks taking place around the city and that everyone was to stay in their homes.

One of the scenes of the attacks, the Bataclan Theatre, was Jewish-owned until very recently and had been the target of well-publicized anti-Israel and anti-Semitic protests and threats. Dozens of people were killed there on Friday night. Other attacks took place at Stade de France during a soccer match between French and German teams, and at a number of popular restaurants nearby.

“I went out as usual to the synagogue on Saturday morning and saw that the street was closed off by police. It turned out that one of the attacks took place right near the synagogue where I serve as rabbi,” he said.

“When I realized that there was no way we could enter the synagogue and pray we went to another nearby synagogue that was open. In the middle of the service, the police came and asked us to leave. They said they were afraid for the safety of Jews, and we had to leave. We hurried to finish the mussaf service and went home.”

Despite the tensions, the streets opened later in the day and Rabbi Cohen returned to his synagogue for the Sabbath afternoon prayers. “I spoke to worshipers about the Previous Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchack Schneersohn, of righteous memory, and he how he personally stood up to the forces of evil in Soviet Russia. I talked to them about how important it is at these times to strengthen our faith in G‑d.”

In response to the attacks there were rallies and expressions of personal support around the world. On Saturday night Tel Aviv’s Rabin Square was filled with hundreds of Israelis, many originally from France, and a number of rabbinic leaders, who expressed their solidarity, support and prayers for those killed and injured, and for the French people as a whole. Similar rallies were being prepared in Jewish communities around the world.

The attacks were the first major terrorist attacks in France since the Hyper Cacher massacre in Paris in January when four Jews were killed at a kosher supermarket following an earlier deadly attack at the offices of the Charlie Hebdo magazine.

16 Comments

  • Israeli

    Sorry people!
    I know it’s sensitive but I can’t hold back anymore!
    The terror attack this evening in Paris was horrible! Families have been destroyed and the devastation is horrific! I know how they feel, anyone who lives in Israel knows what it feels like to live through terror attacks.

    HOWEVER!

    The French government has been condemning Israel at every chance they had! While we are sending our condolences and support to France, they didn’t even bother to cover the attack on Friday when a Jewish father and son were gunned down by Muslim terrorists! France took Hamas off the terrorist list and instead started marking goods produced by Jews in Judea and Samaria!

    With all due respect, I will not post a French flag on my profile and quite frankly I don’t understand why anyone would! It is the French government who has been condemning Israel for fighting the same radical Islamic organizations that attacked Paris!
    Some may call me insensitive, I agree! it is exactly this insensitivity that is the reason I am NOT posting a French flag on my feed!

    what do you call the reactions (or the lack of) from the French government when Israel has been under attack day in and day out?! Should I call for restraint? Should I give credit to the claims ISIS is using to justify this terror attack?

    So instead of putting a French flag up, I will raise the Israeli one. Why? Because Israel warned France and the rest of the world of the effect of radical Islam! We tried to explain who and what we are fighting but they would not listen!

    We told them this was not about land or occupation but they didn’t listen! They pressured us to make deals with those who shoot us, blow us up and stab us and when we refuse to do so, they condemn us!
    We warned them that this is about a radical culture that has no respect for life, but they ignored us and shook their finger at us for fighting the same radical Islamic ideology that attacked Paris. Only we fight it every day!

    So here is the Israeli flag!
    The one that is fighting radical Islamic terror every day!
    The flag that is condemned and yelled at from every international podium for fighting the same evil that murdered over 130 of French innocent civilians.

  • History Teacher

    ”Israeli wrote” comment is true but truth is not relevant, The explanation is that NATIONS HAVE NO MORALITY-ONLY SELF-INTEREST which results in an ever changing geopolitical landscape. Nothing will change but take heart- MOSHIACHNOW

  • Zalmy Schapiro

    ok # 1 you wrote a very big piece of information the questions how do you know about this whole story ? and I wanted to tell you that everybody knows that Israel belongs to the Jewish people so these days a lot of jews support the Israeli flag and I have another question was these people started this whole terrorist attack Palestinians ,Muslims, French people who are they?

  • Leo de Toot

    Excellent comment. “Israeli” has accurately and effectively summarized the issues. Of course the French have a long history of capitulation and surrender – why should their response now be any different?

  • Liepa

    I don’t mourn for France, I mourn for Israel.

    Let the French rot.

    Their non-stop appeasement of muslims couldn’t/won’t avoid them being in the cross hairs of these savages!

  • Andrea Schonberger

    Um…excuse me folks but human beings were gun downed to smithereens. You know, they’re dead and never coming back and the dead always leave mourning families and friends behind to pick up the pieces and try to get on with life. Only life will never be the same; there will be that empty place at the table with everyone wondering what did they do to deserve this tragedy. “The Vacant Chair” is a song from the American Civil War and seems appropriate to this tragedy–this is one part :

    “We shall meet but we shall miss him.
    There will be one vacant chair.
    We shall linger to caress him
    While we breathe our ev’ning prayer.”

    Terrorists are terrorists no matter what religion or flag they wrap themselves in and decent people need to stop giving them sanction even if they be their own kith and kin.

    • Liepa

      With all due respect Andrea, tell that to the Israeli’s or are your comments only, as I suspect, reserved for french casualties.

      Good Day!

    • Hashem should show us only Chesed and Rachamim!!!!

      While everything 100% that #1 said is true and relevant, I agree with Andrea… innocent lives have been lost with everything that goes along with such devastating loss. No person’s life should be compromised because of his or her government’s policies and decisions. It is frightening to think that until Hashem intervenes with Chesed and Rachamim…ISIS is against the world as a whole…chas v’sholom… and there is no where to hide!!!!!!!!

  • Andrea Schonberger

    Dear number 13, My comments are for everyone. Like President George Washington wrote in his letter of August 1790 to the members of the Touro Synagogue:

    “For happily the Government of the United States gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance, requires only that they who live under its protection should demean themselves as good citizens, in giving it on all occasions their effectual support.”

    Beware of evil doers and shun them if they approach you. Thoroughly check out organizations before joining them or reading material not familiar with. Avoid organizations that advocate the overthrow of a legitimately elected government or encourage racial, religious, or ethnic hatreds. Remember, all good citizens strive to live in peace and harmony with ones’ neighbors.

  • Unemployed Noachide

    Muslim attackers target the French and the world is outraged. Muslim attackers target Israeli Jews and the world sides with the Muslim attackers. The French launch strikes against their Muslim attackers and the world applauds. The Israelis defend themselves against Muslim attackers and the world condemns the Jews. Double standard much?

    Doesn’t matter what their name is – ISIS, HAMAS, HEZBOLLAH, TALIBAN, BOKO HARAM, ABU SAYYAF – they’re all the same animal. They hate Jews, they hate Israel, they hate the West, they even hate their own people! Honor killings, blood feuds, sectarian violence, terrorist attacks…. It’s time for these Muslims to join the rest of us here in the 21st century.