Memorial service in Jerusalem marks one week for murderous attack on Jewish school in Toulouse

Jerusalem´s Or Baruch Yeshiva held a memorial for the victims of the murderous attack at Ozar Hatorah School in Toulouse, France, Monday.

The attack 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. The four were buried in Jerusalem last Wednesday.

Former Chief Rabbi Meir Lau presided over the ceremony: "We often speak of Jewish solidarity and this massacre in Toulouse has proven that we are all in the same boat.

"For something like this to happen in such a quiet, pastoral place… This shows just how much the entire world understands that we have a bond with the Diaspora."

Housing and Construction Minister Ariel Atias added: "The lesson here is that we must help protect Jewish institutions worldwide. The Jewish comminutes cannot be expected to deal with this by themselves." French Ambassador to Israel Christophe Bigot visited the Monsonego family on Monday. He told the family that the murders "hurt what France holds most dear – families´ lives. We think about the families whose lives have been ruined and we are full of admiration for the courage and strength you are showing," he said.

The French nation shares in the families´ mourning, he added. "When this kind of insanity runs rampant is shocks and undermines the very foundation of our existence. It is the worst kind of injury to our values and our country," he said. (Copyright 2012 © Yedioth Internet 03/26/12)