The Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) and the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati stand in solidarity with the people of France in the wake of the recent violent acts of Islamist terror on their home soil. We extend our deepest sympathies to those who were brutally attacked during Thursday’s rampage through the offices of the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo—solely because they exercised their right to free speech—and to the innocent civilians murdered today in a Parisian kosher market. These barbaric attacks have not occurred in a vacuum; the French Jewish community has been the target of ongoing premeditated violence over the past decade.

We urge European governments to protect their historic Jewish communities. Homegrown Islamist terror is not a new phenomenon. Had the French authorities responded strategically and proactively to prior incidents—including the kidnapping, torture, and murder of Illan Hammi; the shooting of Jewish school children in Toulouse; and the recent rape of a Parisian Jew—this week’s attacks might have been prevented.

As Jewish communities worldwide prepare for the Sabbath, we ask our fellow Cincinnatians to join us in mourning the victims of the Paris attacks.

While we are not aware of any threats to Cincinnati’s Jewish community, the JCRC and Mark Dowd of SAFE Cincinnati (the local Jewish community’s security initiative) are coordinating closely with local security officials. We ask everyone in the Jewish and non-Jewish communities to remain vigilant.