The Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven and its Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) are heartbroken and outraged at another hateful and anti-Semitic attack on the Chabad Synagogue of Poway, California, where one woman was killed and three were injured. This mass shooting, which took place exactly six months after the mass murder of 11 innocent worshipers at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, comes on the final day of Passover, a holiday that celebrates freedom from oppression.
As innocent children and adults gathered to recite the sacred Yizkor memorial prayer for those they have loved and lost, an enraged white supremacist sought to gun them down in the sanctuary. We will forever remember the name of Lori Gilbert- Kaye, 60. Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein, suffered injury while confronting the attacker. We pray for the rabbi’s recovery and for the speedy and complete recovery of Almog Peretz, 34 and Noya Dahan, 8. Ironically, they had left their hometown of Sderot, Israel after enduring endless terror attacks by rockets from Gaza for the sunny and peaceful greater San Diego, California area, only to encounter extreme Jewish hatred in the United States of America.
On Sunday, May 5, at 1 p.m. at The Towers (18 Tower Lane, New Haven) the community will come together to stand in solidarity to mark Yom HaShoah, the annual commemoration of the six million Jews who perished in the Holocaust. This Sunday we will also offer special prayers of remembrance for those murdered in Pittsburgh and Poway.
We are alarmed by the escalating string of attacks on houses of worship and the continued, increasing tide of anti-Semitic and hate incidents overall.
All places of worship for all faiths should be prayerful, peaceful and free from violence.
Safety and security of the Jewish community is of primary importance to the Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven. The Federation works continuously in partnership with local and state law enforcement, the FBI, Secure Communities Network and ADL to foster training and education for Greater New Haven Jewish community institutions. Recently the Federation coordinated Active Shooter Training and Stop the Bleed Training. Additional security resources can be found at www.jewishnewhaven.org/security-resources.
Resources in coping with the impact of such situations are available locally and online. If your kids are struggling with what they may hear on the news, PJ Library (pjlibrary.org) offers “How to Talk to Your Kids About Scary Situations”. Jewish Family Service of Greater New Haven offers counseling staff to help alongside community clergy.
The Jewish Federation extends its deepest condolences and prayers for a speedy and complete recovery to the families impacted in Poway. We stand in solidarity with the Chabad of Poway community and the Chabad community in Greater New Haven as they grapple with this trauma.
Together we will stand against hate. Together we will ensure that peace and love will triumph.
Dr. Jeffrey Hoos, President
Judith Alperin, Chief Executive Officer
Dr. Arthur & Betty Levy, JCRC Co-Chairs
Eliraz Shifman-Berman, JCRC Director
The Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) of Greater New Haven is the public affairs and community relations arm of the Jewish community representing Jewish organizations and synagogues throughout the Greater New Haven area. The JCRC focuses on government relations, Israel advocacy, inter-group relations, and social justice.
The Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven is a community-building organization that cares for those in need in our community and promotes the continuity, security, and unity of the Jewish community here, in Israel, and around the world.
