14 May 2 • 2019
jn

Morales in the past about coming 
to the synagogue armed because 
he’
s trained, and he wanted trained 
security. “Unfortunately, we couldn’
t 
afford to have an armed security offi-
cer at every service, so whenever we 
had extra help, we were grateful for 
it,
” Goldstein said.
According to the report, Morales 
had recently discovered his Jewish 
heritage and drove more than 100 
miles each way to the synagogue 
from his home in El Centro, Calif., a 
Mexican border city, the rabbi said.
After fleeing the scene in his vehi-
cle, Earnest called 911 and turned 
himself into authorities. He was 
pulled over and taken into custody 
without incident.
Moments after the attack, 
Goldstein wrapped his bleeding 
fingers in a prayer shawl, stood on a 
chair and spoke to his congregation, 
he told CNN the day after the attack. 
He recalled saying, “We are a Jewish 
nation that will stand tall. We will 
not let anyone or anything take us 
down. Terrorism like this will not 
take us down.
” 
Authorities said they discovered 
an online letter written by Earnest 
filled with statements about kill-
ing Jews. The letter referenced 
the recent shootings at the Tree of 
Life Synagogue and mosques in 
Christchurch, New Zealand, and 
took credit for a recent arson at a 
nearby mosque.
Goldstein told news outlets that 
members of the congregation had 
recently attended a city seminar 
about what to do in an active shooter 
situation. He said the training helped 
“tremendously. They evacuated so 
well, we had so many exit doors that 
it was so effective. People ducked 
down and they crawled out to safe 
areas.
”
After he was released from the 
hospital, Goldstein told reporters, “
A 
little bit of light pushes away a lot of 
darkness. We need a lot of light now. 
 “
And this coming Saturday, I per-
sonally feel, I want to appeal to all 
the Jewish people to make an effort 
to attend synagogue. We need to fill 
up those rooms, not run away from 
synagogue but, on the contrary, let’
s 
fill up the synagogues.
” ■

JTA.org contributed to this report.

jews d
in 
the
HATRED STRIKES AGAIN

continued from page 12

ALLISON JACOBS DIGITAL EDITOR

The shooting at Chabad of Poway 
near San Diego weighs heavily 
among communities everywhere, 
including Metro Detroit. Several 
shared their experiences, opinions 
and personal ties to the Poway 
community:

RABBI HERSCHEL FINMAN
Herschel Finman, rabbi/founder 
of Jewish Ferndale, 
was at shul around 6 
p.m. for Moshiach’
s 
Meal, a custom that 
ends Passover. While 
celebrating, a con-
gregant turned to 
him, revealing his 
knowledge about a 
shooting at a Chabad 
synagogue in California.
“Right at that point, my heart 
sunk, and the joy of the holiday 
was sucked right out of me — and, 
of course, my major concern was 
what was going on in that Chabad 
house and what we can do here to 
possibly help,” Finman says.
Finally, around 10 p.m., Finman 
learned the full story, including 
that his colleague, Rabbi Yisroel 
Goldstein, was one of the victims.
Finman and Goldstein were 
acquaintances at the Rabbinical 
College of Seattle. It was a small 
program, with 14 students living 
together under one roof.
“We basically saw each other 
24/7 for two straight years,” 
Finman says.
Goldstein is originally from 
Brooklyn, N.Y., and has been the 
rabbi of the Chabad of Poway for 
more than 30 years.
“He is very lively and very dedi-
cated — a person who really want-
ed to get out and make his mark 
on the world,” Finman says. “His 
whole life he wanted to be where 
he is now.”
While he has been praying for 
Goldstein, who was injured, and 
the Poway community, Finman has 
been addressing safety concerns 
from worried family members and 
friends in the community.
“We’
re beefing up our security 
and being very vigilant in dealing 

with this type of a thing,” Finman 
says. “At the same time, we are pro-
viding a place — if there is some-
thing that happens in Ferndale, 
Jewish Ferndale is somewhere peo-
ple can go.”

RABBI MITCH PARKER
Saturday morning, Rabbi Mitch 
Parker of B’
nai Israel 
Synagogue of West 
Bloomfield addressed 
his congregation on 
the last day of Pesach. 
He was recounting 
some of the difficult 
moments in Jewish 
history during the 
month of April.
“As I am talking about blood 
libels that took place around 
Pesach and things happening in the 
past, three hours later Jews are get-
ting killed again,” Parker says.
As he arrived at shul Sunday for 
morning minyan, he spotted two 
West Bloomfield police cars sitting 
outside.
Aside from heightened security, 
the service at B’
nai Israel had a 
more somber tone.
“I usually talk about what hap-
pened in Jewish history in a given 
day. Today, we just sat in silence 
remembering what had happened.”
While he was grateful for the 
police presence, Parker indicates 
B’
nai Israel has increased security 
overall since the Tree of Life mas-
sacre in Pittsburgh.
“We have to make sure that we 
have adequate security. On the 
other part, we have to work hard 
to create a society where people 
accept differences — where people 
can appreciate others as opposed 
to hate.”

RABBI NOAM GROSS
Rabbi Noam Gross, an educator 
at Partners Detroit Young Jewish 
Professionals, lived in Israel for 
eight years, where 
violent acts could 
take place at any 
point in time.
“The idea of 
attacks on Jews is 
unfortunately part 
of the collective 

Heroic Israelis
Several Israelis were in the Chabad of 
Poway during the terrorist attack on April 
27.
Almog Peretz, 34, is from Sderot — a 
town near the border with Gaza that’
s 
been subjected to rocket attacks where 
residents have only 15 seconds after a 
rocket alarm sounds to get to a bomb 
shelter.
Peretz had only moved to California 
from Sderot a few months before the 
attack, according to reports in Haaretz.
He reportedly saved the lives of sev-
eral children during the shooting attack 
and was hit by shrapnel in his leg as he 
ushered them to safety. He told an Israeli 
radio station he took the children to a 
building in the back and hid them there.
“It doesn’
t matter where we go, we 
have to look out for ourselves. In Sderot, 
where I used to live, didn’
t they also fire 
rockets at us? I didn’
t believe this would 
happen in a place like this,” Peretz told 
Israeli radio. 
Israel Dahan, the father of 8-year-old 
Noya Dahan who was wounded in the 
attack, also moved with his family from 
Sderot a few years ago. “We came from 
fire to fire. We left Sderot after our house 
was hit a few times. My mother’
s house 
was hit. I was wounded,” he said.
Congregant Israeli Shimon Abitbol 
immediately protected his grandson when 
he heard the shots. “Without thinking 
twice, I lay down on my grandson and 
protected him,” Abitbol told Times of 
Israel. “After I counted seven or eight gun-
shots and there was a lull — I assume the 
weapon jammed — I took my grandson 
and rushed outside through a side door; 
we gathered all the children there.”
Abitbol, a paramedic with the Magen 
David Adom service, also tried to perform 
CPR on Lori Gilbert-Kaye, who later died 
from her gunshot wounds. ■

Herschel 
Finman

Mitch Parker

Rabbis React to the Shooting

Noya Dahan, 8, is 

wrapped in the 

Israeli flag at a 

vigil in Poway.

PHIL RAIMI 

Noam Gross

continued on page 16

