Two days after the devastating shooting at Charlie Hebdo’s headquarters, a man known as Amedy Coulibaly walked into a Hypercacher Kosher supermarket in Porte de Vincennes (20th arrondissement of Paris) with a Škorpion vz. 61 submachine gun, an AKS-74U assault rifle and two Russian-made Tokarev pistols killed four people, all of whom were Jewish, and took several hostages, before he was killed by police. Now, supporters of the victims are seeking to help their families through crowdfunding.
According to the Jerusalem Post, funds for the families were started on crowdfunding platform Leetchi, which is also hosting the campaign for the families of the Charlie Hebdo victims. While victims François Michel Saada, Yoav Hattab and Yoram Cohen received only €4,166, €13,204 and €683, Philippe Braham’s campaign raised over €160,000 from 2,606 donors.
Friend of Braham, Bendayan Louis, told the media outlet that he stated the campaign because the family does not have a lot of money and that the large funds are considered, “small for a life.” He recalled that Braham was a “very good man [and] always happy, smiling, and generous.” He also shared that last Yom Kippur, Braham gave his chair to a young boy who wanted to be near his father.
The campaign reads, “Philip Braham was our friend and one of the victims of Kosher supermarket’s attack. He left a wife, Valeria, and young children. Valeria was a stay-at-home mother, she didn’t work. We need them our solidarity and help them lighten their financial burdens.
“For those who prefer to send a cheque, here is the address : Synagogue de Cachan, 28/30 ave Beausejour, 94230, in the name of the ACCIC (the Cultural Association of Cachan), [revealing] that this donation is destined to Mr. Braham’s family.”
Louis added that campaign showed both the strength of the Jewish community and of social media. He noted that people all over the world, “Jewish, gentile, Muslim” have donated, and he has seen funds coming from various countries including the U.S., Spain, Israel, and Italy.
Much like the Charlie Hebdo project, Leetchi has decided to waive all fees for all the campaigns dedicated to the victims.
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