Hundreds of people, including several diplomats and politicians, gathered under tight security Sunday evening at Paris' Grand Synagogue to hold a special prayer vigil in honor of all those who lost their lives in Friday's terrorist attacks in Paris. At the service, a memorial candle was lit for the victims, and the congregation observed a minute of silence. The synagogue's chief rabbi, Moshe Sebbag, said it was a time of great mourning for those who perished and those still undergoing treatment in hospitals. The attacks in the French capital claimed 132 lives and left 349 people injured, dozens of them still in intensive care. "This ceremony is us showing our solidarity with our brothers who lost their lives two days ago, showing solidarity with those injured in hospital. Today is about national unity, Jews, Christians and Muslims, each of them in their place of worship, to express our pain and profound sorrow. Most of all, today is about brotherhood," Sebbag said. The president of the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions in France, Roger Cukierman, was also present at the service. "I think these attacks were different from the ones in January," he told Israel Hayom, referring to the deadly attacks on the offices of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo on Jan. 7 and on the Hyper Cacher kosher supermarket two days later. "And I really hope the French people understand the difference: Then, the attacks were against Jews, against journalists, against soldiers. This time, they were against the entire French nation," Cukierman said. He added that he hopes "that in Europe, they will understand what happened and respond appropriately. The French people all understand the danger of terrorism now, and [they understand] that the Islamic State group's terrorism is a threat to all of us." Chief Rabbi of Paris Michel Gugenheim told the crowd that his hope is for "laughter to overcome the tears and sadness." He and Chief Rabbi of France Haim Korsia expressed the Jewish community's sorrow over the attacks and offered their condolences to the victims' families. Also present at the ceremony was the imam of the Drancy mosque, Hassene Chalghoumi, who said that all people of faith were mourning the attacks, and that he joined the Jewish community in praying for the memory of the victims. At the end of the service, the congregation broke out into the first verse of the French national anthem, "La Marseillaise," in a sign of solidarity. Asked by Israel Hayom if the Bataclan theater was targeted for an attack because of its Jewish ownership, a Jewish community leader said, "That's nonsense. What about the Cambodian restaurant and the stadium? This time it was not against the Jews. This time, it was against the French people, and the Jews are a part of them. We are all in the same boat."
