Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday condemned a shooting at a synagogue near San Diego on Saturday that left one person dead and three wounded.
"I condemn the abhorrent attack on a synagogue in California; this is an attack on the heart of the Jewish people. We send condolences to the family of Lori Gilbert Kaye and our best wishes for a quick recovery to the wounded," Netanyahu said.
"The international community must step up the struggle against anti-Semitism," Netanyahu added.
Later this week, the prime minister plans to convene a special meeting to discuss the uptick in anti-Semitic attacks worldwide.
On Saturday, a gunman opened fire inside a synagogue near San Diego as worshippers celebrated the last day of Passover. The attack came exactly six months after 11 people were killed by a gunman at a Pittsburgh synagogue in October.
As news of the shooting spread, reactions poured in from Israeli, American and Jewish leaders throughout the world.
President Reuven Rivlin said, "We were shocked and grieved to hear of the shooting at Chabad of Poway, California yesterday. The murderous attack on the Jewish community during Pesach, our holiday of freedom, and just before Holocaust Memorial Day, is yet another painful reminder that anti-Semitism and hatred of Jews is still with us, everywhere. No country and no society are immune. Only through education for Holocaust remembrance and tolerance can we deal with this plague."
Foreign Minister Yisrael Katz said, "The State of Israel is sorrowful about the horrible terrorist attack at the Chabad of Poway Synagogue, where Lori Gilbert Kaye lost her life. Our hearts and prayers are with Lori's family and the wounded of this attack. We are here to assist the local Jewish community however and whenever necessary."
The Pittsburgh synagogue that six months ago was the site of the deadliest U.S. attack on Jews offered its sympathy to the Chabad of Poway synagogue near San Diego.
The Tree of Life synagogue, where 11 people were killed by a gunman in October, released a statement on Saturday that "THIS MUST STOP. We are heartbroken – and appalled and outraged – by the news of the attack at the Poway Synagogue near San Diego today. This must stop. It was only six months ago to the day that we became members of that tragic club of community-based shootings to which no one wants to belong. We know first-hand the fear, anguish and healing process such an atrocity causes, and our hearts are with the afflicted San Diego families and their congregation. We will not give in to H(asterisk). We send our love and prayers to the Chabad families. These senseless acts of violence and prejudice must end. Enough is enough!"
Jonathan A. Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League, said in a statement: "This shooting is a reminder of the enduring virulence of anti-Semitism. It must serve as a call to action for us as a society to deal once and for all with this hate. People 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.'"
World Jewish Congress President Ronald S. Lauder released a statement saying that "there is absolutely no justification or explanation for such violence, and it is inconceivable that, yet again, innocent people have been targeted simply for their religion and for choosing to attend a place of worship. … There is no room for such hate-filled violence in our society. People of all faiths must stand together and declare that we will never tolerate such hatred."
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Director Sara J. Bloomfield said in a statement: "Now our thoughts are with the victims and their loved ones. But moving forward this must serve as yet another wake-up call that antisemitism is a growing and deadly menace. The Holocaust is a reminder of the dangers of unchecked antisemitism and the way hate can infect a society. All Americans must unequivocally condemn it and confront it in wherever it appears."
U.S. President Donald Trump, speaking to reporters, said, "My deepest sympathies go to the people that were affected – the families, the loved ones – by the, obviously, looks right now based on my last conversations – looks like a hate crime. Hard to believe, hard to believe. With respect to the synagogue in California near San Diego. We're doing some very heavy research. We'll see what happens, what comes up. At this moment it looks like a hate crime. But my deepest sympathies to all of those affected. And we'll get to the bottom of it. It looks like the person was apprehended, no more danger. And law enforcement has done a fantastic job."
U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Twitter, "Coming just six months after the horrific mass shooting at Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, we are confronted with what appears to be another anti-Semitic attack. We all stand with the Jewish community against this act of hate."
California Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a statement: "California sends our deepest and heartfelt condolences to the friends and families of the victims of today's shooting at the Chabad of Poway. … We join the Poway community in its grief and, together with all Californians, recognize the bravery and heroism of our first responders. … No one should have to fear going to their place of worship, and no one should be targeted for practicing the tenets of their faith."
Steve Vaus, the mayor of Poway, where the shooting took place, said on Twitter: "Hate has no place in ANY community … least of all Poway. We will put our arms around each other and walk through this tragedy as the family we have always been and always will be."
Longtime civil rights activist Rev. Jesse Jackson said, "We offer our prayers for those killed and wounded in San Diego. In this hateful environment, there is a target on the back of blacks and Jews. … The environment is toxic. The winds are blowing and we must detoxify the environment. Those who do things to set the climate are equally responsible. 19-year-olds are not born hateful. It is developed and learned. We must ban assault weapons."
