Winnipeg Jewish federation accepting donations for Paris shooting victims
Jewish Federation of Winnipeg says donations will support victims' families, help boost security
The Jewish Federation of Winnipeg is accepting donations to help the families of four Jewish people who were killed in a hostage-taking at a kosher supermarket in Paris last week, as well as to fund increased security at synagogues and Jewish schools in France.
The four victims were shot during the incident at the Hyper Cacher kosher grocery store on Friday, in what French President François Hollande has called an anti-Semitic attack. Another 15 hostages were rescued.
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The victims have been identified as:
- Yohan Cohen, 22.
- Yoav Hattab, 21.
- Philippe Braham, 45.
- Francois-Michel Saada, 64.
Cohen worked at the kosher grocery store, Braham was a computer engineer, and Saada was a pension fund manager, according to the federation.
Donations are being accepted that will go directly to the victims' families and to "a long-term fund to pay for new and enhanced security measures to protect the Jewish schools and synagogues," the Winnipeg federation said in a release Wednesday.
Adam Bronstone, the Winnipeg federation's chief executive officer, says the Paris supermarket attack has touched a nerve within the local Jewish community.
"When Jews in other parts of the world are gunned down because they're Jews, we really do feel that these are our brothers and sisters, and that's why we have reached out to CRIF in a letter of condolence," he told CBC News.
Bronstone added that some of the donations will help protect some of the 770 Jewish schools in France.
"I'm very happy that the French government is very supportive of putting armed guards in front of every school," he said.
"There's going to be more needs, and we're glad that we're going to be part of helping those needs."
People can donate by calling the federation at (204) 477-7428 or by visiting the Jewish Federations of Canada's France Emergency Fund website.