Wounded French Supermarket Owner: I'm Moving My Family to Israel

Daniel Doherty | January 12, 2015 7:00 PM

After the deadly and traumatizing terrorist attack that left four French Jews dead in Paris last week, Patrice Walid, the owner of the grocery store where the atrocity took place, has ultimately decided he is leaving France for good:

PARIS: Kosher supermarket owner injured during terror attack 3 days ago says he will move to Israel after being discharged from hospital.
— KolHaolam (@KolHaolam) January 12, 2015

The announcement comes on the heels of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's open urgings to get French Jews to leave their native land for the Jewish State. Incidentally, in case there is any lingering doubt that the attack on the kosher grocery store was motivated by anti-Semitism, the store owner’s version of the attack (as communicated to and recounted by his brother) proves conclusively that it was. The Times of Israel reports:

Yoel Walid recalled the initial moments of the Friday-afternoon attack and claimed that Coulibaly [the gunman] had a distinctly anti-Semitic agenda in targeting the store.

“[My brother] was supervising his staff when, at around 1:30 p.m., the terrorist abruptly burst into the shop. One of his employees was standing at the entrance and he was immediately shot and killed,” said Yoel.

“[Patrice] confronted him and the man responded: ‘You are a Jew, you will die! Everyone here will die.’ My brother then said, ‘There are children here.’ But the terrorist didn’t care, he began shooting,” continued Yoel.

“[Patrice] was shot, but he managed to escape and alert the police,” he added.

Of course, extremists who perpetrate acts of terrorism do not care if children are killed as they carry out their bloodlust. In this instance, the gunman's only concern was killing Jews, irrespective of their age. Fortunately, however, more innocents were not gunned down in cold blood -- thanks in large part to the professionalism of French first-responders, the courage and quick-thinking of victims like Patrice Walid who went for help, and the efforts of Good Samaritans like this man who led hostages out of harm's way.