Please say Tehillim for the Chabad Shliach, Yisroel ben Chana Priva.
A gunman burst into a Chabad-Lubavitch center outside San Diego during services on the last day of Passover on Saturday morning and opened fire, killing one person and injuring three. The suspect, John Earnest, a 19-year-old white male from San Diego, is in custody.
Around 11:30 a.m., as the congregation had been listening to the biblical verses describing the observance of Passover, the service was abruptly interrupted by gunshots. Once, twice, they rang out from the lobby, fatally striking Lori Gilbert-Kaye and grievously injuring the synagogue's rabbi, Yisroel Goldstein, who later required surgery on both hands. Six more shots then rang out, injuring a girl of eight or nine and a young man in his 20s.
As the terrorist paused to reload, a Chabad regular and US Military veteran heroically rushed him. As the shooter fled, an off-duty Border Patrol officer shot and struck the shooter’s vehicle four times.
Police evacuated the congregants to a nearby building and began triaging the wounded. But before he would allow himself to be rushed to the hospital, Goldstein turned to his congregation and spoke. He referenced a passage from the Haggadah, read at the Passover Seder: “Not just one alone has risen against us to destroy us, but in every generation they rise against us to destroy us; and the Holy One, blessed be He, saves us from their hand.” He went on to speak about remaining strong in the face of adversity and hate.
Later that afternoon, the police allowed the congregants to regroup in the nearby home of Rabbi Mendel Goldstein, where the prayers were concluded. The service included Yizkor, in which the souls of the departed loved ones are recalled. Having been informed that Gilbert-Kaye had succumbed, they said a special prayer for her soul.
Following Chassidic custom, as the day came to an end, they sat down for a festive meal known as Moshiach’s meal, which included joyous singing and dancing. Poway Mayor Steve Vaus joined them along with other guests.
Congregation member Minoo Anvari, who said that her husband witnessed the shooting, said the rabbi called for unity and prayed for peace even after getting shot. “The rabbi said, ‘We are united,’ ” said Anvari, a refugee from Iran.
“He prayed for peace,” said Anvari. “Even in spite of being injured, he refused to go to the hospital until he spoke. And he finished his speech and then left the synagogue.”
Goldstein, who is originally from the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn, N.Y., is also a Jewish chaplain with the San Diego sheriff’s department. Goldstein has been described as “talkative, warm and kind” by members of the Southern California community.
Anvari said her husband told her that the shooter was screaming and cursing when he opened fire.
According to a witness, the wounded rabbi tried to calm the gunman and members of the congregation.
Vaus said the congregation was targeted by “someone with hate in their heart ... towards our Jewish community and that just will not stand.” The congregation “took security very seriously,” he said.
“I also understand from folks on the scene that this shooter was engaged by people in the congregation and those brave people certainly prevented this from being a much worse tragedy,” Vaus told reporters.
Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein, the synagogue's rabbi, also serves as a police chaplain in San Diego.
San Diego Police Chief David Nisleit said the 19-year-old suspect called police to report the shooting, and a California Highway Patrol officer heard it on a police scanner, saw the suspect and pulled him over. Nisleit says the suspect got out of his car with his hands up, and he was taken into custody without incident.
The shooting came as the synagogue was hosting a celebration for the last day of Passover. Several children were in the building at the time.
A handful of police cars were parked outside of the synagogue in the city of Poway, a little more than 20 miles (32 kilometers) north of San Diego. Crime tape surrounded the street in front of the building.
“Please stay clear of the area and allow deputies to safely do their job,” the sheriff’s office tweeted. “Please don’t spread misinformation that could cause concern or panic.”
U.S. President Donald J. Trump and others offered thought, prayers and condolences after the attack.
Most synagogues around the nation had increased security after a gunman opened fire inside Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life synagogue on Oct. 27, killing 11 people.
On learning of the attack there were calls for prayers (Psalm 20), charity, and acts of kindness for a complete and speedy recovery of those injured, including the rabbi, Yisroel ben Chana Priva. The names of the other injured will be published when available.
