What's happening in France?

mfb

Sun, Nov 15 2015, 9:50 am

Were these attacks near the jewish places? How is life there today? Are people in the streets?

morah

Sun, Nov 15 2015, 10:02 am

The attacks were in a soccer stadium, a concert hall, and a bunch of bars. Today people are out and about and to show the terrorists that life goes on, but of course it's not quite as hopping as usual, a lot of places are closed and there's a massive security presence.

mfb

Sun, Nov 15 2015, 10:07 am

Are the concert halls/bars near the jewish neighborhoods?

dancingqueen

Sun, Nov 15 2015, 10:31 am

mfb wrote:

Are the concert halls/bars near the jewish neighborhoods?

Why does that matter?

morah

Sun, Nov 15 2015, 10:33 am

No, not really. It was in a hip, trendy area. Where young people go to have a good time. Kind of gentrifying, so a little shady (some witnesses initially thought the shooting was a gang fight). This one had nothing to do with Jews. The Jews of France have been attacked many times over the years and nobody cared, the Charlie Hebdo attack was still explained away as being a specific target. This time, it was all French people under attack. They can't pretend it's only a problem of the few anymore.

seeker

Sun, Nov 15 2015, 10:37 am

morah wrote:

This is exactly what's so interesting about these attacks. Terrorist groups have never made any secret of their intention to target all of western society but somehow people miss that point. We had a 9/11 and a Boston marathon that were a big wake-up call but in between people keep forgetting this key detail.
My heart goes out to the victims and their loved ones but at the same time a different part of me is wondering if this might help the world wake up and smell the evil.

etky

Sun, Nov 15 2015, 10:57 am

morah wrote:

A Paris based correspondant was describing in the Atlantic last night how he strolled to the late night grocery store with his teen age son to buy their favorite treat as an act of defiance against terrorism.
Food shopping as an act of defiance - boy is that famiiar territory!
I also read today that one of the attacks occurred right beneath a Beit Chabad. Had it taken place earlier in the evening there would have been many Jews in the vicinity. On Shabbat morning they were not allowed to daven in their shul because the street was cordoned off. So they joined the davening at a shul in a different area but the minyan was dispersed by the police who told them to go home because Jews were considered to be at special risk. I guess they were being extra-careful in light of the Hyper-Cacher attack.

shoshanim999

Sun, Nov 15 2015, 11:10 am

I'll give you the short answer- they allowed in tons of arabs from Syria. As it turns out (surprise) a % of the immigrants are terrorists. They are already in the country and will be almost impossible to identify. They will undoubtedly continue to commit terrorist attacks against as many people as possible. Its a joke when the French president gets up and announces that the retribution against these terrorists well be "ruthless". It's too late. There are thousands of terrorists living there now that are willing to die in martyrdom and get their virgins. Sadly, stay tuned for more of the same.

myself

Sun, Nov 15 2015, 11:55 am

shoshanim999 wrote:

Sadly, stay tuned for more of the same.

I understand how you feel, but al tiftach peh l'satan.

May the Ribbono Shel Olam protect us all.

ValleyMom

Sun, Nov 15 2015, 12:01 pm

Daven for everyone living in France.

All people were created by Hashem to serve a purpose.

Every person that was murdered was someone's precious baby.

mfb

Sun, Nov 15 2015, 12:11 pm

dancingqueen wrote:

Why does that matter?

I was just trying to figure out if it was right near where the jewish neighborhood is than possibly jews were killed when passing by since it seems the cafes were outdoors.

Simple1

Sun, Nov 15 2015, 12:17 pm

dancingqueen wrote:

Why does that matter?

It's horrible if it happens to anybody!

But just to defend mfb, most people who hear of an attack instinctively and frantically want to know if it's in a location where their family and friends might be and hope nobody is hurt. It's naturally to have extra concern for your people.

imasoftov

Sun, Nov 15 2015, 12:34 pm

Simple1 wrote:

The following is not critical of either paragraph.

The Fourfold Song

There is a person who sings the song of his soul. He finds everything, his complete spiritual satisfaction, within his soul.

There is a person who sings the song of the nation. He steps forward from his private soul, which he finds narrow and uncivilized. He yearns for the heights. He clings with a sensitive love to the entirety of the Jewish nation and sings its song. He shares in its pains, is joyful in its hopes, speaks with exalted and pure thoughts regarding its past and its future, investigates its inner spiritual nature with love and a wise heart.

There is a person whose soul is so broad that it expands beyond the border of Israel. It sings the song of humanity. This soul constantly grows broader with the exalted totality of humanity and its glorious image. He yearns for humanity’s general enlightenment. He looks forward to its supernal perfection. From this source of life, he draws all of his thoughts and insights, his ideals and visions.

And there is a person who rises even higher until he unites with all existence, with all creatures, and with all worlds. And with all of them, he sings. This is the person who, engaged in the Chapter of Song every day, is assured that he is a child of the World-to-Come.

And there is a person who rises with all these songs together in one ensemble so that they all give forth their voices, they all sing their songs sweetly, each supplies its fellow with fullness and life: the voice of happiness and joy, the voice of rejoicing and tunefulness, the voice of merriment and the voice of holiness.

The song of the soul, the song of the nation, the song of humanity, the song of the world—they all mix together with this person at every moment and at all times.

And this simplicity in its fullness rises to become a song of holiness, the song of God, the song that is simple, doubled, tripled, quadrupled, the song of songs of Solomon—of the king who is characterized by completeness and peace.

-- R Kook, Orot Hakodesh