Man throws Molotov cocktail at New Jersey synagogue in arson attempt, police say - CNN

CNN  — 

A antheral threw a Molotov cocktail astatine a New Jersey synagogue in an arson effort connected Sunday morning, constabulary and the synagogue said.

The fishy lit and threw a Molotov cocktail astatine the beforehand doorway of Temple Ner Tamid astir 3 a.m. and fled the scene, Bloomfield constabulary said successful a quality release. The vessel broke, but did not origin immoderate harm to the building, constabulary said.

Temple Ner Tamid includes a preschool and a K-12 spiritual school, according to its website. It describes itself arsenic a “welcoming, diverse, and philharmonic Reform congregation wherever members link with their practice portion reasoning progressively astir the present.”

Temple Ner Tamid confirmed successful a telephone telephone with CNN that it was the synagogue that was targeted.

Police successful Livingston, New Jersey, said they would summation patrols of temples successful the area arsenic a effect of the attack. Livingston is astir 8 miles westbound of Bloomfield.

No different temples were affected, Bloomfield constabulary told CNN.

Police provided a inactive representation of the fishy with his look covered.

New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin said successful a connection that his bureau was investigating the arson effort successful collaboration with local, county, authorities and national instrumentality enforcement agencies. He besides referenced the protests implicit the decease of Tyre Nichols, a young Black antheral who died aft being beaten by police successful Tennessee. “I privation to reassure each New Jerseyans – particularly our friends and neighbors of the Black assemblage and the Jewish religion – that instrumentality enforcement continues to instrumentality the due steps to summation our beingness astir delicate places truthful that everyone successful our authorities tin worship, love, and unrecorded without fearfulness of unit oregon threat.”

All activities astatine the synagogue person been paused for the time and determination volition beryllium “an ongoing, heighted constabulary beingness into the week,” according to a connection from the temple.

The synagogue’s Rabbi Marc Katz expressed his choler astatine the onslaught arsenic good arsenic his gratitude for the Jewish community.

“We person and volition proceed to bash everything successful our powerfulness to support our assemblage safe,” helium said successful the temple’s statement. “Everything worked arsenic it should. Our cameras recorded the incidental and our shatter-resistant doors held.”

“But what I cannot do, is person our assemblage not to turn despondent,” helium went on. “There is hatred everywhere, and hatred wins erstwhile we fto it penetrate. When the value of this grows excessively heavy, I punctual my congregation that each day, contempt what is happening, successful Jewish communities astir the world, babies are named, children are educated, radical are married.

“Our spiritual traditions continue. No enactment of hatred tin halt the powerfulness of spiritual freedom.”

Dov Ben-Shimon, the CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest New Jersey, to which Temple Ner Tamid belongs, wrote connected Twitter that the onslaught was portion of a wider spike successful antisemitic hatred crimes.

The “incident comes amidst a clime of intimidation and intolerance, and a rising tide of anti-Jewish hatred crimes and hatred code against Jews,” helium said.

“Our Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest NJ volition proceed to enactment with each partners successful the assemblage to basal up to hate, physique our resilience, and beforehand information and security,” helium said.

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy condemned the onslaught connected Sunday evening.

“Let maine beryllium clear: determination is nary spot for unit oregon hatred successful New Jersey and I powerfully condemn these acts,” the governor tweeted Sunday.

The New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness besides said successful a connection they are “aware and intimately monitoring an aboriginal greeting incidental successful Bloomfield, NJ, wherever an unidentified fishy targeted a synagogue with an incendiary device.”

“No injuries oregon spot harm person been reported. Law enforcement is actively investigating this incident,” said the bureau successful a tweet.

The Anti-Defamation League Center connected Extremism, which has tracked incidents of antisemitic harassment, vandalism, and battle successful the US since 1979, reported 2,717 incidents of antisemitism successful 2021 – up 34% from the erstwhile year.