This past Saturday, a gunman opened fire on members of Chabad of Poway synagogue near San Diego, California.
One person was killed and three were wounded during the Passover service, according to reports.
The suspected gunman who used an assault rifle was identified as 19 year-old John Earnest. He was taken into custody after being confronted by an U.S. Border Patrol agent, officials said.
Earnest has been charged with one count of first-degree murder and three counts of attempted first-degree murder, according to reports.
ADL, the world’s leading anti-hate organization was founded in 1913 in response to an escalating climate of anti-Semitism and bigotry.
ADL's CEO Jonathan A. Greenblatt said,
"We are devastated by the shooting at the Chabad synagogue. This was an attack on an Orthodox congregation but, more than that, an attack on the entire Jewish community. At ADL, we grieve for the innocent who lost their lives. We pray for the victims who were wounded or traumatized by the attack. And we mourn for Jews in Poway and around the world because our collective sacred space was shattered with this heinous act of violence.
We are grateful to law enforcement authorities and local leaders for their swift and determined response after this brutal hate crime. It’s truly heartbreaking to see yet another tragedy on Shabbat but also on a day when we celebrate the end of the Passover festival. It also the six month anniversary of the shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, the most violent anti-Semitic incident in American history.
This shooting is a reminder of the reality and virulence of anti-Semitism. It must serve as a call to action for us as a society to deal once and for all with hate.
Jewish people and those of all faiths should not have to live in fear of going to their house of worship. From Charleston to Pittsburgh to Oak Creek and from Christchurch to Sri Lanka, and now Poway, we need to say “enough is enough.”"
