"Like Tisha B'Av": The Synagogue Gabai Recalls the Difficult Moments

A few days after the terrible desecration of the Torah scrolls in the synagogue in Kiryat Yovel, named after Yonatan Sandler HY"D, the French community members are beginning to heal from the terrible tragedy that struck them. The horrifying sight was discovered last Tuesday morning by Shmuel Marciano, a Jerusalem city council member (Shas) and community representative. Marciano, who worked to establish the synagogue for the members of the 'Shayach Israel' community, serves as one of the gabais of the synagogue. When he opened the synagogue door, he was devastated: "I couldn't believe something like this could happen in the Land of Israel, especially in Jerusalem, the holy city." Last weekend, they danced and sang with one surviving Torah scroll, while the other three were sent for repair at a special institute. "A non-Jew cannot understand the joy that took hold of us," says Marciano.

The 'Shayach Israel' community consists of about 100 families who have immigrated from France in recent years. Marciano (38), responsible for the absorption and immigration portfolio in the Jerusalem city council, immigrated to Israel about 19 years ago. "I came straight to Jerusalem, married my wife who is also from France, we lived in the Bayit Vegan neighborhood, and then we moved to Kiryat Yovel," he recounts this week. The neighborhood, home to about 22,000 residents, is located in the southwest of Jerusalem and was established in 1954, three years after the jubilee of the Jewish National Fund in 1951, from which its name derives. About nine years ago, families from France, mostly families of Torah scholars, began moving to the neighborhood. Marciano: "As more immigrants arrived, we started organizing them to establish a community that preserves the unique customs of French Jews. For the French, it's very important to have a community that speaks their language, especially when there's no family here and parents are abroad. The community serves as an anchor where they can find friends, make Kiddush on Shabbat together, and be one with each other. Initially, it was difficult to find a place for the synagogue in Kiryat Yovel due to the tension it created between secular and Haredi Jews. Eventually, I found a public shelter that was vacant and empty. Through the association I operate, 'Derech Eliyahu,' we requested to establish the synagogue, but there were battles around it."

(Photo: Flash 90)

The event that reversed everything was the shooting attack in Toulouse, France, on March 19, 2012. Around 8:00 AM, the terrorist arrived at the entrance of the 'Otzar HaTorah' Jewish school in Toulouse, where Jewish students aged 11 to 17 study. The terrorist arrived on a scooter, dismounted, and opened fire at those present, including parents and students. The first victim was Rabbi Yonatan Sandler, an Israeli-French teacher at the school, who was shot to death outside the school gates while trying to protect his two young sons, Aryeh, 6, and Gavriel, 3, who were also murdered. The terrorist also shot and killed Miriam Monsonego, 8, the daughter of the school principal. The police quickly cordoned off the area and evacuated it, with security reinforced around the school and other Jewish institutions in France. French President Nicolas Sarkozy and other presidential candidates came to Toulouse. The president declared a minute of silence for the following day in all French schools.

The French Community's Life Centers Around the Synagogue

Rabbi Sandler HY"D, who previously lived in Kiryat Yovel, was a friend of Marciano. "He went to teach in Toulouse and was essentially a community member. He was my friend; we learned in a kollel and yeshiva together. I was responsible for the shiva and funeral, and when the mayor came to console Mrs. Sandler, I asked him to help end our wandering from place to place with the synagogue issue - and so it was. Within two days, the shelter was approved, and we entered it, naming the place after Sandler HY"D. I also established a 'noon kollel' in his memory. Additionally, with the establishment of the synagogue, we ensured there was a rabbi for the ‘Shayach Israel’ community."

(Photo: Private Album)

Over the years, the community functioned around the synagogue and its activities: "The community is united and cohesive. For the French, it's not difficult; once they find someone who speaks their language and understands them, they immediately connect. You have to remember that immigrating to Israel is not easy. The difficulty lies in the absence of siblings, sisters, and parents, and community meetings provide a kind of substitute. There are activities for women and children, and daily community life moves around the synagogue from 6:30 AM to midnight, including kollel activities and classes."

During the night between Monday and last Tuesday, the synagogue was broken into, causing damage to the structure. The intruders vandalized the Ark and threw Torah scrolls on the floor. Police forces arrived at the scene, and later it was announced that a special investigation team had been set up.

How did Sandler's wife react?

"Very difficult. It took her back 7 years. Unfortunately, I opened the synagogue that morning and felt like her, that against the four murdered in Toulouse lying on the floor - so the holy Torah scrolls were on the floor. It's confusing and difficult. Sometimes I bring visitors to 'Yad Vashem' so they can learn about Jewish history. They see how, during the Holocaust, Torah scrolls were disgracefully desecrated. I confess it reminded me of the Holocaust period, the things Jews suffered and endured during the Holocaust. I thought to myself that if they blindfolded me, didn't tell me where I was, I would think I was in Europe or Germany. I wouldn't believe something like this could happen in Israel, especially in Jerusalem, the holy city."

How did the community members react?

"It was very hard, especially for the French who immigrate to Israel to escape the rising anti-Semitism in France. Arriving in Israel and seeing such things is very confusing. We encourage immigration from France, especially at a young age. It’s easier to start life here when you’re young. In France, today, the situation is precarious; everything could change by tomorrow. However, and I travel a lot to France - we have never heard of such a thing happening in a synagogue or such vandalism. Here, it was not an attempt to steal but purely for desecration, concerning the most holy thing to Jews worldwide. Even someone who is not observant feels a connection to the Torah scroll, kisses, and honors it when they see it. Such a thing certainly did not happen to us in France."

How did you yourself react when you saw the horrific sight of Torah scrolls lying on the floor?

"Hashem gives strength, and as the saying goes, in a place where there is no man you must be a man. Of course, I cried. It was shocking, but the first thing I needed to do was attend to the Torah scrolls that were lying on the floor. So I called the police to report, and when I explained that the scrolls were on the floor, they gave me permission to lift them onto the table and not to put them back into the Ark, but to place them on the table as they were. I am a mohel, and that day I was supposed to perform a brit milah, and I had special strength. In such difficult times, you must also take care to answer phones. These were hard days. I understood what we need to feel on Tisha B'Av, what needs to be felt concerning the destruction of the Temple."

(Photo: Flash 90)

Strengthening Gathering, Shabbat Retreat, Songs of Simchat Torah

Last Thursday, a fast was held. "Blessed is Israel, people from all over Jerusalem and all sectors, secular and religious alike, neighbors and people we didn't know - came and helped in the synagogue. One Torah scroll was checked and found kosher, and it was placed in the Ark. The other three Torah scrolls were sent for repair to a special institute in Bnei Brak. As Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky said last Thursday - everyone who saw the Torah scrolls on the floor in disgrace fasted. On Shabbat, we had a Shabbat retreat. There was a strengthening talk for the children who saw the Torah scrolls and it bothered them. We made a grand Kiddush and rejoiced in the Torah. As there was disgrace - the repair is apparently honoring the Torah. We decided to strengthen, so the entire community accepted upon themselves not to talk during the Torah reading. We danced with the scroll and sang songs of Simchat Torah. We showed the special power of the Jewish people. After such an event, we strengthened and moved forward. A non-Jew cannot understand this, it's unique to us. On Motzaei Shabbat (Saturday night), there was a big gathering for the whole neighborhood and all publics. We are moving forward and, God willing, aspire to move from the shelter to a magnificent building.

For now, the matter is under investigation. I don't want to believe that a Jew, with a Jewish soul, could do such a thing. On the other hand, if they wanted to steal, why didn't they steal Torah scrolls?! It's confusing. We don't know exactly what happened and await the investigation results. After we know, we will be more at ease. While it is not comforting, at least we will know what they were looking for and wanted. We are not only looking for the perpetrator to receive their punishment - that is the job of the police. Our job is to understand why this happened to us and to strengthen generally and personally. Everyone felt close and happy towards Hashem. To understand the message, one must consult the great scholars of Israel and deeply contemplate personally. As there was a desecration of the Torah scrolls, we will do the opposite - sanctifying Hashem's name with honor for the Torah and its scholars."