By, Shirli Sitbon
1 min read
ByShirli Sitbon, Shirli Sitbon
A Jewish woman who was taken into hospital following the truck-ramming attack in Nice last Thursday has died.
Raymonde Mamane, 77, was critically injured and put on a respirator following the outrage but succumbed to her injuries on Sunday. Her sister Clara Bensimon, 80 is still in a coma according to reports, which also say she had to have her legs amputated as a result of her injuries.
A friend of Mamane described her as a "wonderful woman, dedicated to her family.”
“The entire community is in shock. At first they couldn’t find the sisters but after searching far and wide, they located them in serious condition in the hospital. Who would have believed that we would be here today eulogizing her? It is a huge loss to the community and a great shock to everyone.”
Alarming messages spread throughout the Jewish community on Shabbat saying more than a dozen Jews were among the 84 people killed.
“14 of us will not celebrate this Shabbat. Pray for them,” read one of the messages emailed to the community.
Jewish officials denied the rumours, saying about ten Jews were in serious condition but none had died, but on Sunday one of the injured women succumbed to her wounds.
The Jewish radio in Nice, which usually halts its programs on Friday night, kept broadcasting.
“The situation was dramatic and we have broadcast 24 hours a day since the attack to inform our listeners,” said the head editor of the Nice Jewish Radio Shalom, Nitsan Yossi Ben Avraham.
Since Friday, people have been calling to share their anger and criticise French authorities.
“They’re sad and angry. Their anger is much stronger now than after previous attacks,” says Ben Avraham. “Like the rest of the population, Jews in Nice say there wasn’t enough security on Bastille Day. Some say that police could have blocked the road with vans as Israeli police sometimes does.”
Many are angered that police deployment was reduced after the European Championship, leaving citizens vulnerable.
“Listeners who called us say that during football games security was tighter. The terrorist wouldn’t have been able to get a truck to the site.”
Jewish officials strongly condemned the attack, saying the terrorist targeted France because it promotes liberty. At a ceremony commemorating Second World War deportations on Sunday, several officials compared the terrorists to Nazis.
“Just like 74 years ago: we will not cave in to barbarity!” said a spokesman for Crif, France’s Jewish umbrella group.
