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The Bataclan, the storied, 150-year-old Paris music hall where four men with AK-47 assault rifles killed 89 people on Friday, was until recently owned by a Jewish family. There is some speculation that the terrorists who attacked the Bataclan during a concert by the American rock band Eagles of Death Metal targeted the theater for this reason. It had been the focus of attacks before, according to reports in the French and Israeli news media.

It was sold several months ago, according to a family member, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of fears for the family’s safety.

The theater, at 50 Boulevard Voltaire, has long been a center of the city’s rock ’n’ roll and counterculture scene.

“It is one of the icons of Paris,” the family member said. “By attacking it, they attacked the soul of the city.”