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J

ews or Jewish sites may not
protestors wearing Arab
have been primary targets of the
kaffiyehs demonstrated
Islamic State-inspired assault on
outside the theater. A
Paris that left France reeling from its
video captured one of
Le Bataclan, the Paris concert hall attacked by Islamic
deadliest siege since World War II, but
the masked protesters
State terrorists
they had to be on the terrorists’ radar.
saying, “You’ll pay the
The Nov. 13 multiple attacks left
consequences of your
Abaaoud told Boulahcen two days later
at least 130 dead and more than 350
acts,” adding, “In the neighborhoods,
“they would do worse in districts close
injured. Investigators believe at least nine things are moving and heating up. The
to the Jews and would disrupt transport
young men, thought to be largely French
next time, we won’t come to talk.”
and schools.” Abaaoud also boasted of
and Belgian nationals who became radi-
In 2010, Al Qaida’s branch in the
entering Europe amid Syrian refugees
calized in Europe, were responsible.
Gaza Strip, Jaish Al Islam (“the army
and spending two months in France
It’s more than coincidence
of Islam”), plotted to organize a
undetected.
that one Paris target, Le
Le Bataclan attack because “the
It’s not hard to trace Le Bataclan’s
Bataclan concert hall, had
owners are Jewish,” according to
Jewish ties. Whether Islamic State specifi-
been owned by Jews, brothers
a statement to French police by a
cally targeted the stately theater because
Pascal and Joel Laloux, until
woman arrested in Cairo in con-
of those ties remains speculation, even
September, when they made
nection with an assault on French
among French Jews. Some believe the
aliyah. The hall had been
students there. That assault was
hall was attacked as payback for hosting
Jewish owned for 40 years;
believed retaliatory for France’s
pro-Israel events. Others insist it was
anti-Zionist radicals long
role in Israel’s naval blockade of
attacked because it’s a popular public
had marked it for protest and
Robert Sklar the Gaza Strip, the French daily Le venue, not because jihadists had it in
attack. Pro-Palestinian online
Figaro reported.
Contributing
their sight lines.
networks considered it a cru-
California-based band Eagles of
Editor
Anti-Defamation League CEO
cible for Zionist support.
Death Metal was about to perform
Jonathan Greenblatt threw the Le
The 150-year-old theater
at Le Bataclan with its own Israel
Bataclan massacre in sharp relief, urging
took its name from an operetta written
connection. On July 12, it performed in
French authorities to investigate “the pos-
and composed by two 19th-century Jews, Tel Aviv, breaking from a music industry
sibility that virulent anti-Semitism was a
according to Jewniverse, a 70 Faces Media boycott of Israel precipitated by Roger
motive in the attack.”
property.
Waters, former leader of Pink Floyd.
Sadly, the possibility seems all too
At least 89 people were killed in the
“I would never boycott a place like
real.
attack on Le Bataclan during a perfor-
this,” Eagles of Death Metal lead singer
mance by the American rock band Eagles Jesse Hughes told the Tel
of Death Metal, which was in the midst
Aviv crowd, according to the
of a European tour. Terrorists randomly
Jerusalem Post.
shot victims while shouting Allahu akbar!
TRACKING THE LINKS
— Allah is great!
The Islamic State-tasked
JEWISH TEXTURE
senior member of the Paris
The hall, popular in the gay community,
assault cell, Abdelhamid
no doubt was targeted because the ter-
Abaaoud, a 28-year-
rorists knew it would be full on a Friday
old Belgian national of
night with more than 1,000 patrons
Moroccan origin, and a
— allowing mass confusion and casual-
female cousin, Hasna Ait
ties. While the top French Jewish orga-
Boulahcen, died in a shoot-
nization, the CRIF, announced it didn’t
out with police Nov. 18 at
believe anti-Semitism was necessarily a
a Saint-Denis apartment
factor in any of the night’s coordinated
north of Paris.
attacks, Le Bataclan’s Jewish ties must
On Nov. 27, Reuters
have heightened its significance.
reported that Abaaoud
Over the years, the theater has hosted
not only had targeted Le
many pro-Zionist events, including an
Bataclan, a soccer stadium,
October conclave drawing 500 Christian
two cafes and two restau-
Zionists in support of Israel.
rants, all struck Nov. 13,
From 2005 to 2009, Le Bataclan hosted but also other French sites,
the annual fundraiser for Migdal, a
including Jewish ones.
French Jewish nonprofit benefiting the
According to a confiden-
Israeli border police. In 2008, according
tial police witness state-
to the New York Times, 40 pro-Palestinian ment released to Reuters,

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8 January 7 • 2016

Wikimedia Commons

Targeted French Theater
Long On Jewish Ties