Molotov Cocktail Hurled at a New Jersey Synagogue, Police Say - The New York Times

New York|Molotov Cocktail Hurled astatine a New Jersey Synagogue, Police Say

A antheral wearing a skis disguise lit the wick of a Molotov cocktail and hurled it astatine the beforehand doorway of a Bloomfield, N.J., synagogue aboriginal connected Sunday morning, the latest occurrence successful an uptick of harassment and violence targeting Jews and Jewish institutions, the authorities said.

The Molotov cocktail’s vessel broke, and the synagogue, Temple Ner Tamid, was undamaged, the Bloomfield Police Department said in a quality release.

The antheral was wearing achromatic clothing, including a garment that appeared to person a skull and crossbones plan connected it, according to the synagogue’s surveillance footage. The constabulary said the antheral “fled down the driveway,” though it was unclear if helium got distant connected ft oregon by car.

About six hours aft the attack, temple unit members discovered what had happened and notified the police. The synagogue said successful a connection that the occurrence went retired connected interaction and that the doorway was secure.

All scheduled activities connected Sunday were canceled, and the synagogue said it expected an ongoing and heightened constabulary beingness successful the coming days.

Marc Katz, the temple’s rabbi, said successful the connection that the synagogue has and “will proceed to bash everything successful our powerfulness to support our assemblage safe.”

“Everything worked arsenic it should,” helium said. “Our cameras recorded the incident, and our shatter-resistant doors held.”

The authorities lawyer general, Matthew J. Platkin, said successful a statement that his bureau was besides made alert of a abstracted “attack connected members of a religion successful Monmouth County” connected Saturday.

He did not connection details oregon accidental whether the attacks were linked but described the onslaught connected the religion arsenic “another incidental being pursued arsenic perchance bias-motivated.”

“We are cognizant of the information that these attacks person occurred portion unit continues to erupt successful Israel, and portion our ain federation reckons with unit astatine home,” helium said.

A typical from his bureau was not instantly disposable to remark connected Sunday.

Michael Venezia, the politician of Bloomfield, a township astir 8 miles northbound of Newark, said connected Facebook that “hate and antisemitism volition not beryllium tolerated and person nary spot successful our welcoming community.”

The Anti-Defamation League of New York and New Jersey said successful a associated statement issued with spouse organizations that the attempted arson astatine Temple Ner Tamid came amid a “spike successful antisemitic incidents” and caller threats astatine synagogues successful New Jersey.

In November, an 18-year-old antheral from Middlesex County, N.J., was charged with threatening to onslaught a synagogue and Jews that month. The occurrence prompted a rare warning from the Federal Bureau of Investigation successful New Jersey of a wide menace to synagogues successful the state.

In 2021, the Anti-Defamation League recorded 370 antisemitic incidents successful New Jersey, representing the highest fig ever recorded by the enactment for the authorities — and the second-highest full recorded crossed the state that year.

Figures from 2022 are not yet available, but they volition not amusement a decrease, said Scott Richman, determination manager of the Anti-Defamation League of New York and New Jersey.