Chabad leaders worldwide are warning Jewish communities about the possibility of more anti-Semitic terrorist attacks like the San Diego synagogue shooting.
In a message put out after the shooting on the last night of Pesach, which claimed the life of Lori Kayne, Chabad leaders said that “our regional leaders are very worried about the security of every Chabad house and center in hundreds of communities in the U.S. and throughout the world.”
Chabad expressed its gratitude to the municipal and national agencies that worked closely with the organization to ensure the safety of community members.
Nevertheless, the statement warned, “Anti-Semitic violence in the U.S. has risen to a level that cannot be ignored. We are asking city council members and state legislators, federal agencies, media outlets, college professors, university leaders, and schoolteachers to take responsibility and root out the gangrene [of anti-Semitism] that threatens the core values of this country.”
Rabbi Yehuda Krinsky, one of the senior rabbinical figures in the Chabad organization, said, “The warning bells of recent events are tolling, and we call on leaders from both political sides to stop the dangerous spiral of anti-Semitism.”
The Chabad statement also condemned the San Diego shooting.
“As the Passover holiday ended, we learned of the shooting at a Chabad House, the murder of an innocent woman, and that others who were praying had been wounded. This is a horrific, heartbreaking incident,” the statement read.
Full Statement:
(Lubavitch.com) Upon the close of the Sabbath and Passover holiday in New York, we learned of the shooting at Chabad of Poway, in San Diego. The murder of an innocent woman and the wounding of several others who were celebrating their faith in the synagogue, on the terra firma of our freedom-loving country, is appalling and heartbreaking.
We extend heartfelt sympathy to the family of Lori Gilbert-Kaye upon their terrible loss. We mourn with you in your time of grief.
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Our prayers for a speedy recovery to Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein and the others who were viciously injured by the shooter.
We are grateful for the heroic efforts by individual(s) in the synagogue blocking the shooter from inflicting further injury and preventing greater loss of life.
We are thankful to the California Highway Patrol in San Diego for their quick response in apprehending the shooter.
Chabad-Lubavitch is an integral component of Jewish communities in every one of the states, in hundreds of communities nationwide and in Jewish communities throughout the world. Our regional representatives are very concerned for the safety of every Chabad House/Center, and we are grateful for all the support by city and state agencies who work closely with them toward enhanced security measures.
“There are some 207 Chabad Centers in the state of California serving its Jewish population across 129 cities,” said Rabbi Shlomo Cunin, California’s head Chabad representative. “We are grieving for the loss of life here. We are determined to ensure that all our centers in the state are safe and protected from such hateful violence.”
Anti-Jewish violence in the United States has now risen to a level that cannot be ignored or dismissed. We appeal to members of government on the local, state and federal level, media agencies, school teachers, college professors and university leaders to lead responsibly and take the initiative to uproot the destructive scourge that threatens the core values of this country.
Let us remember that while primitive hatred against Jews was allowed to fester in many other countries, ultimately to the detriment of all their citizens, America’s values of tolerance and lovingkindness, and its commitment to law and order have been its greatest assets.
“The alarm bells of recent events are ringing, and we call upon leaders from across all political divides to stop the dangerous, downward spiral of anti-Semitism,” said Rabbi Yehuda Krinsky.
“In the spirit of Passover, the Festival of Freedom, may we each commit to work to bring security, healing and unity to our fractured nation.”
This article first appeared on Israel Hayom.
(JNS)
{Matzav.com}