Toulouse Victims part of Illustrious Rabbinic Family

The murdered victims were scions of an illustrious rabbinic family. The date of the murders has eerie significance.

by Jacob Asseraf

Ed. note: This article appeared in an online Five Towns newspaper. The writer is not an English speaker. Minimal editing was done where the needed changes were obvious, the rest was left as written.

I am the uncle of the woman who lost her two children and husband in the killing and the cousin of the father of the girl Miriam Monsonego who also perished in the attack.

The 2 boys, Gabriel Issachar 6 years old and Arie 3 years old , who were killed with their father are the grand-grand sons of my father Issachar and the 8 years old girl Miriam Monsonego is the grand- grand daughter of my father's sister.

What is strange about this story is this drama happened on Adar 25, the day of the anniversary of the death of my son [sic] father Issachar and one of the boys is named after him.

Miriam Monsonego. She comes from a lineage of great rabbis family, the Monsonego Family, Av Beth Din From father to son since 1492 from Spain, and Great Rabbi of Morocco.

And also my cousin, Rabbi Aaron Monsonego, the Grand Uncle of Miriam Monsonego, is currently Great Rabbi of Morocco and the President since its existence of the Otzar Hatorah Institutions.

My niece Hava Malka and and her family have been sent by the Israeli government as shlouhim to teach in that Jewish school Otsar Hatorah

The French Government

I want bring some clarification on the behavior of the French nation and its authorities. For the first time I, like all the French Jewish community, have been very impressed with the solidarity and the support of the French nation of all religions and political parties together.

Even the French Arab and Muslim community has been very integral in these events with French Jewish community

How things happened

My niece is living in front of the school where she and her husband Rav Jonathan Sandler were teaching Limoudei Koddesh.[Judaica, ed.]

It was on Monday March 19th , my niece's husband was waiting with his 2 boys for the school bus for the nursery and kindergarden school to drive the boys to their school. Usually my niece would wait with them, but this day she did not and stayed with her 6 month old daughter at home.

Very strange that she and her daughter were saved on the day of my father's yortseit [anniversary of death].

While Rav Jonathan Sandler and his 2 boys were awaiting the bus, the criminal came towards them, to stand up in front of him and shoot him in the head before turning to shoot Gabriel Issachar, the 6 years old boy and Aryeh, the 3 years old boy.

The little girl Miriam that was waiting as well, was scared and started running, the murderer ran after her pulled her by the her hair, held her and shot her with a bullet in her head, what a criminal, one of the students, 17 years old, trying to save her has been shot also in the lung and the heart, he was saved after many [sic] surgery.

My niece Hava Malka, when she heard the shooting she ran downstairs and saw her husband and kids murdered in front of her, Aryeh the 3 years old boy was still living but died at the hospital.

The father of Miriam, Yaakov Monsonego, son of Rabbi Rahamim Monsonego, my cousin, was around saw his daughter murder in front of him , he collapsed.

My sister Fanny with her husband, living in Paris, took the first flight to Toulouse. I have been called the same day by my family while I was at the Far Rockaway Shoul Beis Yaakov davening Shachrit [morning prayers,  which it is the custom to lead on a yahrzeit, ed.] for my father's yortseit.

Both families, Sandler and Monsonego, are French and Israeli citizens. Prime Minister Netanyahu and the all the Israelis were deeply affected by this anti-Semitic murders.

The French president sent his Foreign Secretary of State Alain Juppe as well his Interior and Police Secretary of State to Toulouse to support the family. They also intervened not to let the Doctors make any autopsies to the murdered.

The Niftarim [dead] and their family have been boarded in a military Flight towards Paris, where President Sarkozy did a Special Ceremony for them before they leave to Israel.

President Sarkozy also sent his Foreign Secretary of State Alain Juppe [who is and always was a great friend of the Jewish Community] to fly with the families to Israel and to assist at the funerals which will take place Wednesday March 21st with the presence of the Israeli and French Governments at Givat Shaoul Har Hamenouhot where my Parents Issachar and Messda Assaraf, whose yortseit is also 28th Adar this week are buried.

They took the 11:55 Pm EL AL Flight from Paris to Jerusalem Tuesday 20th.

I have attached also the picture, of the Grandfather of the father of Myriam Monsonego, who was the uncle of my father from his mother's side and also his brother in law has married my father's sister .

Rabbi Yedidia Monsonego was always with the King Hassan II and his son Aaron as well. The King of Morocco never did anything without the advice of Rabbi Yedidiah.

Source and more, including video at: Israel National News

HT: Moriah