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 worshippers 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,” Cohen 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.”
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.
VIDEO:
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu‘s Statement after the Terrorist Attacks in Paris: “On behalf of the people and Government of Israel, I extend our deepest sympathies to the people of France and to the families of those who were brutally murdered in Paris last night. We also extend our wishes for a speedy recovery to the wounded.”
United States 9/11, France 11/13, Eretz Israel 24/7 We need Moshiach now!!!!!
We don’t hear anything like this from the US president. Shame on all the Jews who voted him into office TWICE. First we are Jews and then Americans.
Wouldn’t it be a most ironic turn of events if the French do
what the Israelis absolutely refused. And that is, carrying out
R. Meir Kahane’s policy of, “It’s either they leave or we leave…”
BS”D
Obama is putting together a negotiating and debate team to send over, thank G-d we will all be safe,
THE REBBE GAVE IT US,WHY DONT WE TEACH THE SHEVA MITZVOS BNEI NOACH WITH AS MUCH CHAYOUS AS THOSE TERRORISTS ?
wow this is a really scary story we want Moshiach we want Moshiach now
I think that comment # 3 says it all. from someone living in zefat,israel
To comment 1, you are right. The Rebbe said to do this. But why are we not doing this? On a global scale.
After the world trade center and after this.. nothing changes. The US and Europe just don’t get it. As long as they continue to see terrorism in Israel as justified and unrelated to the ills of the rest of the world and as long as they continue to provide moral and financial encouragement directly or indirectly to terror-driven cultures, they are inviting terrorism into their own doors.
Todah for your condolences to the French people Now start protecting your own people, ‘The People of the Book.’ So far you’ve failed.
I think that much of the incitement, fervor and rage comes from their pulpit preachers who tell the Muslims that attacking is a moral thing to do. And kids at their homes get indoctrinated. One of our jobs is to educate the whole world of the 7 Laws of Noah. But more has to be done. Governments have to fight this cancer vigilantly.