(JTA) — For many Jews around the world, there’s probably no love lost for 2019. As the year draws to a close, the Jewish community continues to grapple with the continued rise of global anti-Semitism — one major community in Europe is facing the possible election as prime minister… Read more »
Tagged Poway synagogue shooting
We need to thank the unsung heroes keeping American synagogues safe
WASHINGTON (JTA) — When I was about 19 years old, I took my first trip to Europe. I marveled at its beauty, its culture, its history and its architecture. On this trip and many others that followed, I shed many tears as I visited the numerous synagogues, Jewish museums… Read more »
Chabad of Poway dedicates new Torah scroll to honor shooting victim Lori Gilbert-Kaye
(JTA) — The Chabad of Poway synagogue dedicated a new Torah scroll in honor of Lori Gilbert-Kaye, who was killed in a shooting attack last month at the San Diego-area synagogue. The ceremony took place Wednesday night marking the end of the sloshim, or first 30-day mourning period, and… Read more »
Ilhan Omar and her Jewish colleague Jan Schakowsky co-write op-ed on fighting white supremacy
WASHINGTON (JTA) — Reps. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., and Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill., joined in an appeal to confront a rise in deadly expressions of white nationalism. “As a Muslim American and a Jewish American elected to the United States Congress, we can no longer sit silently as terror strikes our… Read more »
Poway gunman said he did it because ‘the Jewish people are destroying the white race’
(JTA) — The gunman who killed a woman and wounded three others at the Chabad of Poway told a 911 dispatcher he had done it because “the Jewish people are destroying the white race.” Prosecutors described the call Thursday in announcing 109 hate crime and other charges against John T.… Read more »
Pittsburgh couple name baby girl after Poway victim Lori Gilbert-Kaye
(JTA) — A Jewish couple in Pittsburgh named their baby girl after Lori Gilbert-Kaye, who was killed in the attack on the Chabad of Poway synagogue. Judah and Chaya Cowen welcomed Noa Lea — Gilbert-Kaye’s Hebrew name was Leah — on May 3. She is the couple’s fifth child.… Read more »
Celebrating Shabbat in Poway, a week after the deadly shooting
POWAY, Calif. (JTA) — “Those who are standing can remain standing,” Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein joked, a nod to the standing-room-only crowd that had packed Chabad of Poway for Friday night services. For many of those who filled the sanctuary, showing up was an act of faith, of solidarity, of… Read more »
In the wake of Poway attack, Chabad to press for ‘moment of silence’ in schools
WASHINGTON (JTA) –In the wake of a deadly attack on a Chabad synagogue in California, the movement will press for a mandatory moment of silence in American schools, a measure that it claims will reduce violence. In a release Sunday, the Washington-based American Friends of Lubavitch (Chabad) said chapters… Read more »
Poway, a California haven, learns it can happen here
POWAY, Calif. (JTA)— With hundreds gathered to show support for the victims of a shooting inside his synagogue, Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein recounted the moment when he came face to face with the gunman and what happened next: He described watching a congregant’s husband, a doctor, faint as he attempted… Read more »
First-ever official US delegation joins March of the Living at Auschwitz
OSWIECIM, Poland (JTA) — President Donald Trump’s appointee as special envoy for monitoring and combating anti-Semitism toured Auschwitz for the first time on Israel’s Holocaust Remembrance Day. Elan Carr, who was named earlier this year, was part of the first official U.S. delegation to the March of the Living,… Read more »
In the wake of another deadly synagogue shooting, we need Holocaust education more than ever
(JTA) — On the Shabbat morning of April 27, Hadassah member Lori Gilbert-Kaye was murdered while celebrating Passover at the Chabad of Poway. The synagogue’s rabbi, a male congregant and an 8-year-old girl were wounded as well by the self-avowed white supremacist shooter. We know that anti-Semitism is on the… Read more »
Survivor Ed Mosberg, 93, is braving cancer to march at Auschwitz, perhaps for the last time
KRAKOW, Poland (JTA) — At the age of 93, Holocaust survivor Ed Mosberg is saying his goodbyes to the city of his birth. Flanked by two physicians who accompanied him all the way from New Jersey, Mosberg, who made his fortune in construction after surviving several Nazi concentration camps,… Read more »
Alleged Poway synagogue shooter charged with murder
(JTA) — The alleged gunman in the attack on the Chabad of Poway synagogue near San Diego was charged with murder. John Earnest, 19, was charged on Sunday afternoon with one count of murder in the first degree and three counts of attempted murder in the first degree, according… Read more »
After Poway synagogue shooting, ADL director calls for government to take action against white supremacists
(JTA) — The head of the Anti-Defamation League said Saturday’s synagogue shooting should serve as a “wake-up call” for politicians and business executives to more seriously address anti-Semitism. Jonathan Greenblatt, the CEO and national director of the ADL, spoke with reporters on a call from Poway, California, where a… Read more »
Lori Gilbert-Kaye, 60, killed in Poway attack, shielded rabbi from bullets
POWAY, California (JTA) — Lori Gilbert-Kaye, who was killed in the attack at a Chabad synagogue near San Diego, is credited with jumping in front of the synagogue’s rabbi to shield him from the gunman’s bullets. Gilbert-Kaye, 60, of San Diego, is survived by her husband and 22-year-old daughter.… Read more »
Poway mayor: post-Pittsburgh precautions saved lives
POWAY, California (JTA) — Poway’s mayor said preparations made in the aftermath of the massacre at a Pittsburgh synagogue “contributed to saving lives” in his hometown. On Saturday, a gunman entered Chabad of Poway, killing Lori Gilbert-Kaye, a 60-year-old congregant, and injuring three others, including Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein, the… Read more »
Crowdfunding campaign and interfaith vigil support victims of Poway synagogue attack
(JTA) — A crowdfunding campaign established to help the victims of an attack on a Chabad synagogue near San Diego, California, has raised more than $18,000 in its first 10 hours. More than 600 people donated nearly $32,000 toward a goal of $50,000 on GoFundMe, with many donations ranging… Read more »
Chabad, the movement whose synagogue was targeted in the Poway shooting, explained
(JTA) — The shooting on Saturday that left one woman dead and three injured happened in a synagogue focused on welcoming and outreach. The shooter, who has been apprehended by police, entered the synagogue, Chabad of Poway, at approximately 11:30 a.m. and began shooting. He is 19 years old… Read more »
JFSA and JCF statement on shooting in Poway, California
The Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona and the Jewish Community Foundation of Southern Arizona are heartbroken and horrified by the senseless act of violence on Saturday at Congregation Chabad in Poway, California. This act came on the exact six-month anniversary after the Tree of Life Synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh, on… Read more »
1 dead, 3 injured in San Diego-area synagogue shooting
(JTA) — A shooting at a Chabad synagogue in Poway, near San Diego, California, has left one person dead and three injured, including a child. Police in Poway detained a white 19-year old San Diego man in connection with the shooting on the last day of Passover, and hospitals said… Read more »