Even as the victims of Friday’s terrorist attacks in Paris were still being identified, thousands of people poured onto the streets on Sunday in an impromptu show of solidarity during a day of mourning throughout France. Hundreds also gathered at Synagogue de la Victoire in Paris in the evening for a memorial service, including the country’s Chief Rabbi Chaim Korsia and local government officials.
“Everybody was profoundly moved by the gathering and the speeches,” reports Rabbi Chaim Shneur Nisenbaum of the Complexe Scolaire Beth Haya Moushka school system in Paris. “The speech from chief rabbi in France was very strong, stressing that we are all united, and that terrorists cannot win.”
Before the sun set, Chabad rabbis and laymen offered men and boys over 13 the chance to wrap tefillin.
Rabbi Moshe Cohen, co-director of Beth Loubavitch Paris 11, whose synagogue is not far from where one of the multiple attacks took place, “went to the Bataclan and recited Tehillim [Psalms]” for the departed and for the safety of all French citizens. “As a shaliach, an emissary of the Lubavitcher Rebbe [Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory], I felt that it was important to demonstrate that we are with the people.”
The Bataclan theater was one of six sites throughout Paris attacked Friday night by ISIS terrorists. Other targets included the Stade de France—the national soccer stadium—and several restaurants. According to French officials, at least seven terrorists working in small groups used assault rifles and homemade bombs to kill nearly 130 people and injure hundreds more.
Nearly 90 of those murdered were inside the theater listening to a music concert at the time of the attack. Sources say there might be Jewish victims among them; as of Sunday evening, that could not be confirmed.
“Everyone is just so sad. This wasn’t an attack on a certain community; it affected all of the French people,” says Cohen.
‘Faithful to Our Observance’
Nisenbaum reports that schools throughout the country will reopen Monday and observe a moment of silence, including the Chabad-run schools.
Additionally, he says, teachers will be talking with the students about the attacks—letting the youngsters express their fears and concerns—and helping to reassure them that they are safe and protected both at school and around the city, where the military are now out on the streets in force.
“Parents are asking about security at the schools. This is something we take very seriously, and something that must be done,” he says. “But as Jews, we have to be confident in G‑d.”
“G‑d will be with us,” assures the rabbi. “We have to go to work, and we have to go to Jewish shops—we must not stop because otherwise we aren’t really living. G‑d is the only one in whom we can be truly confident and with whom we can have hope.”
Earlier in the day, Rabbi Nisenbaum took to Facebook to post his thoughts about how to respond to the attacks. During his two-minute address in French, he stressed that people need to remain strong and confident.
To do otherwise, he said, would be to grant the terrorists a victory.
“Tragic events occurred this Shabbat that will remain deep in our memories,” he said in the posting. “This, though, is not the most important thing. We need to know how to react to these kinds of events. Certainly, we need security measures ... but we also need something else—a profound inner reaction from each one of us.”
The goal of the “barbarians,” Nisenbaum continued, “is to impress us. To tell us that they have power over our conscience. We need to give them the right answer; they have no power over us. We are free ... and we are proud.”
Speaking later, he added that “these terrorists want to destroy our way of life in Europe and in other countries. That’s why we have to be strong and firm and confident—and not change our way of life.
“As Jews, we must remain faithful to our observance of the Torah,” he said. “For the French at large, we must remain faithful to ourselves and our beliefs. This will show our enemies that terror is not something that will make us change.”
Start a Discussion