World

MOURNING KEDOSHIM OF PARIS

Sunday, January 11, 2015 10:27 pm | 2 Minute Read

By Rafael Hoffman

The scene at Republique square in Paris, France, on Sunday. More than a million people gathered in Paris to rally against terrorism. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)

Jews light candles as the names of the victims are placed during a gathering to pay tribute to victims of the attack on the kosher supermarket in Paris where four Jews were killed on Friday, in Netanya, Sunday. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

As Paris rallied to honor victims and stand up against terrorism, Klal Yisrael worldwide mourned the memories of the four innocent victims, who in the words of Roger Cuikerman, the President of The Council of French Jewish Institutions, “were struck down in cold-blood and mercilessly because they were Jews.”

Yoav Hattab, Hy’d, 21, was the son of Rabbi Binyamin Hattab, a leader of the Jewish community in Tunisia. He had recently returned from his first visit to Eretz Yisrael and was said to be in Paris for only a short time en route back to his native Tunisia. According to reports, he had hoped to settle in Eretz Yisrael.

Yohan Cohen, Hy’d, 22, resided in Sarcelles, a heavily Jewish suburb of Paris. He was described as an especially gentle and good-hearted person. Several reports say that he was killed while attempting to confront the terrorists and save the lives of others in the grocery store.

Phillippe Braham, Hy’d, 40, was a resident of the Montrouge community, a suburb of Paris. He worked as an insurance agent, near the Hyper Cacher market. Mr. Braham is survived by a wife and three children.

Francois-Michel Saada, Hy”d, 64, originally hailed from Tunisia. He has resided in Paris for many years and was presently working as a pension fund manager. Mr. Saada has two children living in Eretz Yisrael.

Plans are underway for the bodies of all four kedoshim to be transported to Eretz Yisrael for kevurah.

This article appeared in print on page 1 of the January 12th, 2015 edition of Hamodia.