The message from Tal Zoach, a Bnei Akiva shlicha (an emissary for facilitating Jewish immigration to Israel) in Paris is surprisingly upbeat. In an interview with Israel National News, Zoach explained that the attacks on Jews in Paris only strengthen these youths' heartfelt belief that Israel is their real home.
"The people here want to come to Israel because they love Israel and they feel connected to Israel and of course they have this feeling that France isn’t their home. It's not the Holy Land; it's not Israel. It's just a place they happen to live in," she explained.
"It's not a cliché," Zoach added. "99% of the [Bnei Akiva] kids do Aliyah [i.e., emigrate to Israel - ed.]. They want to get married to Israelis and stay in Israel." The anti-Semitic attacks, she said, "just make [the feeling] even stronger that they should go to Israel."
According to Zoach, Kevin Bitan, one of the kids who was assaulted, is in 12th grade and "next year he knows he is going to be in the program of Bnei Akiva and going to the army." The brother of another one of the assault victims is already serving in the IDF.
The Bnei Akiva youths' parents are preparing themselves, she added, for the fact that their kids "are going to Israel and not coming back."
As for the attack, Zoach said: "Baruch Hashem… that they only had these injuries because it could have been much worse."