In Washington, the White House said it is deeply saddened by the attack and condemned it as an "uNPRovoked and outrageous act of violence." U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon also condemned the shooting "in the strong possible terms" and expressed condolences to the victims' families, the Jewish community and the French people.

France is home to at least a half-million Jews who represent Europe's largest Jewish community. The Toulouse shooting was the deadliest attack on that community since the early 1980s.

A French organization that monitors anti-Semitism says 389 incidents were recorded last year, ranging from vandalism to violence. The figure reported by the Protection Service for the Jewish Community (SPCJ) marked a decline from 466 anti-Semitic acts in 2010.

The Anti-Defamation League, a U.S.-based rights group, told VOA that Toulouse has seen several "troubling" anti-Semitic incidents in recent years, including the ramming of a burning car into the front of a synagogue while a rabbi and children were inside in 2009. Vandals broke into another local synagogue in 2010 and scrawled the words "dirty Jews."

ADL's director of international affairs Michael Salberg said those incidents have left the French Jewish community feeling insecure. He said the response of French leaders and law enforcement to Monday's attack was "very positive," but he said France must do more to prevent additional tragedies. Salberg urged French authorities to be on "constant alert for danger and to keep that level of vigilance high."

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