Lassana Bathily, an employee of the Paris kosher supermarket targeted in a terrorist attack on January 9, will soon receive French citizenship. The 24-year-old was hailed as hero when it emerged that he had hidden a group of customers in a freezer in the basement of the store at the beginning of attack, saving them from almost certain death upstairs.

In an interview with the BBC, Bathily—a Muslim from Mali—recounted the day’s events and his own quiet heroism.

When he heard gunshots and screams, he ushered terrified customers into a cold storage room, urging them to keep calm. “If the terrorist comes down here he must not hear you,” he told them, turning off the lights and the refrigeration. He then fled in a freight elevator, and was able to provide police with crucial intelligence to help end the siege.

Bathily, who moved to France in 2006 when he was just 16, recalled his Jewish co-workers with fondness. “I can still see [victim] Yohan alive, walking towards me,” he told the BBC. “We’d always have a laugh, and we all cared for each other… They’d tease me. I’m Muslim, and they’d always ask me when I’m going to get a Jewish girlfriend.”

After learning of his heroism, the public began clamoring for Bathily to be granted French citizenship. (So far, over 350,000 people have signed an online petition to that effect.) Yesterday, the Interior Ministry announced that Bathily’s citizenship application would be expedited. A naturalization ceremony will take place on January 20, presided over by Minister Bernard Cazeneuve.

(Image: Frederic Legrand – COMEO / Shutterstock.com)

Related: Jewish Victims of Paris Terror Attack Named

The post Hero From Paris Kosher Supermarket Attack to Become French Citizen appeared first on Jewcy.

The New York Times and CNN have published short profiles of the victims of the recent terrorist attacks in France, including the four Jewish men killed on Friday at Hyper Cacher, a kosher grocery store in Porte de Vincennes, Paris:

Yoav Hattab, 21, originally from Tunisia, was living and studying in Paris. He was the son of the Chief Rabbi of Tunis.

Yohan Cohen, 22, was an employee of the supermarket and a student. His grandfather, a famous Jewish-Tunisian singer, died in December.

Philippe Braham, 45, worked as an IT consultant. His children are students at a Jewish school close to the supermarket where he was killed, and his brother is a rabbi in Paris.

François-Michel Saada, 63, was a former executive. He was born in Tunis and married to Laurence Saada for over 30 years. He has two adult children who live in Israel.

May their memories be a blessing.

The post Jewish Victims of Paris Terror Attack Named appeared first on Jewcy.

It’s hard for us to imagine Natalie Portman as any more attractive than she already is, that is, unless we imagine that she’s French. In a recent interview with Madame Figaro, the Jerusalem-born actress brought up the idea.

“I don’t have the French nationality, but I would be love to get it. But I don’t know if it’s possible because I already have an American and an Israeli passport,” says the actress and wife of Frenchman Benjamin Millepied. “Perhaps I should add an ‘h’ to my name to make it sound more French [Nathalie]?”

Portman and Millepied are planning to move to Paris next year, JTA reports. Nous t’aimons, Nathalie.

(Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty)

The post Natalie Portman Wants To Be A French Citizen appeared first on Jewcy.

Bagels, coffee, and orange juice will be served in Arnold Hall (96 Wentworth St) beginning at 9:00am. The event is free and open to the public.

The post QUICHES, KUGELS, AND COUSCOUS appeared first on Jewcy.