“The attack during the Passover services yesterday at the Chabad of Poway temple is a sickening event that continues a disconcerting trend in our nation and the world. Individuals who gathered in the name of peace and community became targets of a madman who quickly turned the serene ceremony into a horrific tragedy. As a former member of the Jewish Federation of Southern New Jersey and a current advisory board member of Jewish Family and Children’s Services I am appalled and saddened by this savage hate crime. Once again, we have seen another deranged individual, storm a house of worship with an AR-15 in order to maximize causalities and sow the seeds of chaos and destruction.
Moving forward, as a community, we must disavow the kind of hate and bigotry that created a place for such horrific actions. It is critical that the founding principles of this nation are upheld and we work to fortify the fact that people are free to worship without persecution and feel safe to do so. In Camden County, we must come together in a united voice to eliminate hate, bigotry and prejudice and focus on ensuring that we remain a place of love, tolerance and hold on to our best trait- diversity. That said, we stand with the people of Poway today and will further strengthen ourselves against these kinds of acts by advocating for stricter federal and state gun laws and ensuring that law enforcement is paying special attention to our houses of worship. In short, we will continue to pronounce that hate has no home here.”