A ceremony was held at the Grande Synagogue in memory of the victims of the Paris attacks, particularly the Jews killed in the Hyper Cacher. The presence of civil, military, and religious authorities (Catholic and Muslim) gave this gathering an ecumenical character.
The spaces and aisles of the place of worship were filled by a large crowd of members of the Jewish community of Nice, one of the largest in France (over 30,000 people in the capital of the French Riviera and its surroundings).
Prayers and speeches alternated, the former providing a spiritual meaning to the memory of the victims.
The representatives of Jewish organizations, Maurice Niddam, President of the Consistory of Nice, and Jรฉrรดme Culioli, President of the CRIF Southeast, emphasized the need to reject violence and continue daily activities by refusing to give in to the blackmail of fear.
Echoing the statement by Prime Minister Manuel Valls, who had declared that “France without Jews would not be France,” the President of the Consistory stated, not without a hint of controversy: “Then protect them.”
In the same vein, Christian Estrosi did not hesitate to go beyond the specific reason for the demonstration to add a political aspect and affirm his support for Israel… which, naturally, earned him a “standing ovation.”
The mayor of Nice, regarding the tragic circumstances that led to this gathering, said solemnly that “this tribute, here, is strong because it is also the opportunity to affirm, in a place of worship, that the Republic is proud of its believing citizens, that it is happy to see them live within it, and that it is determined to defend their freedom of worship, guaranteed and governed by its laws.”
Finally, the State’s representative, Prefect Adolphe Colrat, more soberly, after expressing his compassion to the victims and referencing national cohesion as an antidote to violence, concluded his speech with a beautiful sentence: “The people of France have risen without hate, let us be worthy of what they have expressed.”
The ceremony ended in a patriotic atmosphere with the Marseillaise sung by those present, each one aware of having experienced a moment never to be forgotten, but which must be remembered.
