A ceremony commemorating the anniversary of the 2012 terror attack that killed a rabbi and three children at a Jewish school in Toulouse, France took place on Friday.
The attack on the school took place four days after Islamist terrorist Mohammed Merah began a terror-motivated shooting spree by killing an off-duty solider in Toulouse and then two off-duty soldiers in Montauban. On March 19, he targeted the Ozar Hatorah Jewish day school in Toulouse. Merah filmed his attack with a body camera and pledged his support for Al Qaeda.
The ceremony was held at the Charles de Gaulle square in Toulouse. City officials placed a wreath under a magnolia tree that was planted there on the first anniversary of the attack by French President Francois Hollande.
“Nine years ago, on March 19, 2012 in Toulouse, a terrorist murdered Jonathan Sandler, 30, his two children Arieh and Gabriel Sandler, 5 and 4, as well as Myriam Monsonégo, 7, in Ozar Hatorah school because they were Jews. Let’s pay homage, don’t forget them,” said the CRIF, the organization that represents Jewish communal institutions in France, in a statement on Twitter.
“On March 19, 2012, three Jewish children and a teacher were shot dead in a Jewish school in Toulouse, France. May the memory of the victims be a blessing,” tweeted the European Jewish Congress.
The American Jewish Committee (AJC) also issued a statement on Twitter marking the anniversary of the tragedy. “Nine years ago, an Islamist extremist murdered three students and a teacher at a Jewish school in Toulouse and three soldiers in Montauban. May their memories continue to inspire our efforts to combat antisemitism and extremism in France and around the world.”