Victims identified as Lori Gilbert Kaye, z”l; Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein; Along Peretz, and young Noya Dahan; Alleged shooter John P. Earnest taken into custody

By Donald H. Harrison
Editor, San Diego Jewish World

POWAY, California – A white male shooter opened fire during Saturday morning Shabbat services on the last day of Passover, killing one woman at the Altman Family Chabad Community Center, and wounding three others, including Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein who was addressing the Chassidic congregation at the time.

Witnesses said that Rabbi Goldstein suffered wounds to both hands, that another man and a elementary school aged girl were among the victims taken respectively to Palomar Medical Center and Rady Children’s Hospital, and that following Shabbat services, the congregation had been planning to hold a celebratory Passover luncheon.

Witnesses said that Rabbi Goldstein had two fingers wounded, yet continued to deliver his sermon in the immediate aftermath of the attack. Meanwhile, an off-duty Border Patrol Agent providing private security for the service chased the suspect out of the synagogue and fired at his car, according to witnesses.

Sheriff Bill Gore, whose agency provides protection to the City of Poway, told a news conference that a combination of law enforcement agencies including the FBI were interviewing nearly 100 witnesses who were inside the synagogue when the shooting occurred. Some of the interviews were conducted at the rabbi’s residence, which is behind the synagogue. Officers were told that the shooter ran out of the synagogue after his gun appeared to misfire.

Identities of the victims besides Rabbi Goldstein were not immediately disclosed by law enforcement officials. However, Audrey Jacobs, a Jewish community activist, said the slain woman was her friend Lori Gilbert Kaye, who jumped in front of Rabbi Goldstein when the shooter opened fire. She was hit by several bullets apparently meant for him, Jacobs wrote. (An earlier report was erroneous that it was Rabbi Mendel Goldstein, son of Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein, whom she had tried to shield.) Kaye was a member of Hadassah.

According to Jacobs, who posted on Facebook, “Lori leaves behind a devastated husband and 22-year-old daughter.” Another friend, Fred Nasseri, told KGTV, that Kaye was “one of those people you want to know as a friend.” He added in an interview: “We will not be broken; this is not going to break us.”

Jacobs also reported that when the shooter stormed into the synagogue, he yelled “F-ck the Jews” as he opened fire.

Dr. Michael Katz, trauma chief of Palomar Medical Center, said the woman who died was 60; that the rabbi is 57, and the other male victim 34. He said the rabbi will lose his right index finger, but his left index finger is expected to be saved. The other man and the little girl suffered shrapnel injuries, with the girl’s being in a leg and the face. Katz added that the rabbi underwent surgery and may need to remain hospitalized for a few days.

In her post, Jacobs wrote: “The murderer also shot an 8-year-old girl Noya Dahan. She asked for her picture to be shared and for everyone to know she is strong. Noya’s family moved to San Diego from the Israeli city of Sderot to get away from the terrorism and the constant attacks on their community.” Police had reported the girl’s age at 10, and there was no immediate clarification of the discrepancy. The Sha’ar Hanegev region around Sderot is the partnership region in Israel of the Jewish Federation of San Diego.

Jacobs’ account continued: “The other victim who was shot was Almog Peretz, age 32, Noya’s uncle who came from Sderot to visit his family for the Passover holiday. They are both now in stable condition.”

In the confusion immediately after the shooting, two children were reported missing, but they were subsequently found and reunited with their parents, witnesses said.

San Diego Police Chief David Nisleit, who joined Gore at a news conference, said that shortly after escaping the synagogue, the shooter telephoned 911 to turn himself in, and that a San Diego Police Officer made the arrest in front of Phil’s Barbecue near the intersection of Rancho Bernardo Road and Interstate 15. According to Nisleit, a semi-automatic AR15 rifle was on the front seat of the shooter’s car. The shooter was identified as a 19-year-old male who lives along Freeport Road in the Rancho Penasquitos neighborhood of the City of San Diego, which neighbors Poway. He later was identified as John P. Earnest of San Diego. He reportedly had issued an 8-page manifesto on social media in which he claimed to have set a small fire at the Islamic Center of Escondido last month. Earnest wrote in advance about Saturday’s shooting that he had been planning the attack for four weeks, and that he had no remorse except that he hadn’t killed even more people.

Reporters for KGTV later reported that Earnest had been a student at California State University at San Marcos, enrolled in a nursing program. That university issued a statement decrying the shooting and saying that it stood “in solidarity” with the Jewish community. It was also learned that Earnest had graduated in 2017 from Mt. Carmel High School, where his father is a science teacher.

In an interview with MSNBC, a shaken Poway Mayor Steve Vaus called the shooting a “hate crime,” which would mean that if the shooter is found guilty, he could face increased penalties because hate crimes not only affect specific victims but are intended to intimidate an entire community.

Danny Almog, a congregant who had been inside the synagogue, told reporters that the gunman was “just focused to kill. I saw the murder and the hate in his eyes.”

U.S. President Donald Trump, in a news conference on the south lawn of the White House, echoed Vaus’s description of the shooting as a hate crime. He offered the nation’s sympathies to the victims, and congratulated law enforcement on their quick response. Subsequently, he tweeted: “Thoughts and prayers to all of those affected by the shooting at the Synagogue in Poway, California. God bless you all. Suspect apprehended. Law enforcement did outstanding job. Thank you!”

There were also comments from Democratic presidential candidates: Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, himself Jewish, called the shooting “horrific” and said bigotry and violence must be eradicated. Sen. Kamala Harris of California, whose husband is Jewish, commented “Anti-Semitism is real in this country and we must not be silent.” U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton of Massachusetts said, “We have a hate problem in America. We have a gun problem….”

Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Kevin K. McAleenan said, “I am deeply saddened to learn of the tragic shooting in Poway, California. Targeted violence committed against any race, religion, creed or ethnic group cannot and will not be tolerated. DHS will take every appropriate action to assist with the investigation and ensure that those affected by this tragedy receive the closure and justice they deserve. We are thankful that one of our own, an off-duty Border Patrol agent, was able to assist in the response and likely prevented the deaths of more worshipers.”

California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared: “No one should ever fear going to their place of worship!”

Jonathan Greenblatt, executive director of the national Anti-Defamation League, told MSNBC reporters that the shooting came six months after the massacre at Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life Synagogue, in which 11 persons were murdered and seven others wounded by a white supremacist.

Greenblatt described the shooting as “tragic beyond words” and said that the world is “living in a moment of fear.” He noted that anti-Semitic incidents have increased in the country. Likewise in recent times there have been attacks against a mosque in New Zealand, Catholic churches in Sri Lanka, and African-American churches in Louisiana.

Mayor Vaus told a news conference that the shooting is uncharacteristic of Poway. In his city, he said, “we always walk with our arms around each other. … We will walk through this tragedy with arms around each other.”

Gore said that extra patrols by law enforcement would be sent to houses of worship on Sunday to guard against any copycat shootings. Several Jewish organizations, including the Jewish Community Center and Tifereth Israel Synagogue in San Diego, have previously scheduled observances on Sunday to mark Yom Hashoah, the Holocaust remembrance day.

The regional office of the Anti-Defamation League sent counselors to nearby Poway High School to meet with grieving community members.

Among the early responders to the shooting were the Sheriff’s Department, San Diego Police Department, San Diego Fire Department, Escondido Police Department, the California Highway Patrol, the Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms enforcement agency; the U.S. Border Patrol, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

As news of the shooting spread through Poway, a city of 50,000 residents, mourners and sympathizers placed bouquets of flowers in strategic locations. One sign, attached to a telephone pole, was a heart with an inscribed message inside saying, “Poway Stands With You.” Another declared “Never Again!”

Rancho Bernardo Community Presbyterian Church sponsored a service and candlelight vigil Saturday evening. Havdalah prayers were chanted at the end of Shabbat, and the assembly also sang the Civil Rights standard, “We Shall Overcome.” A Muslim who attended the service said if the person who had committed arson against the mosque last month only had been caught, Saturday’s shooting might never have occurred.

Donald H. Harrison is editor of San Diego Jewish World. He may be contacted via [email protected]. This post is reprinted from San Diego Jewish World which, along with The Moderate Voice, is a member of the San Diego Online News Association.

TMV EDITOR’S NOTE: I know this synagogue full well. It is about 15 minutes from me. I’ve been there over the years as an entertainer, and also accepted their gracious offers to attend special events, even go for a special prayer. I know the staff and community. In fact, due to my travel (as an entertainer) I don’t always go to synagogue but have been in this one more than any other in San Diego County over the years.

Here’s a Facebook post written by Mendy Rubenfeld, a rabbi at the Chabad of Poway:

Dear friends, on behalf of Bluma Chaya Rubenfeld and myself I would like to express our deepest shock and sadness at the evil act that happened today at our shul Chabad of Poway. We were in Chabad of West Boca for Passover and safe from the immediate dangers of today. We heard the shocking news even during the Shabbat and Yom Tov. Lori is our dear friend and wonderful supporter, in her memory please, please commit to doing something special for a neighbor or friend!! We must fight darkness with light! As a Jewish people we mourn the loss of the most outgoing, friendly person that Lori Gilbert-Kaye is, and the shock and terror of all those who came to Shul to pray for peace in the world.

Please pray for our dear Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein who was terribly injured. Dovid ben Sarah, and the other’s who were injured today. The Lubavitcher Rebbe has taught us to never despair. To be strong in the face of evil and increase in Mitzvot! Please at this difficult time, take upon yourself to increase in a positive resolution (mitzvah) to make this world a better place! Men, please put on Tefillin. Women and girls light Shabbat candles. Give extra charity. As I write this through tears, I beg you to do more, fight fight fight the forces of darkness! It’s time we tip the scales and bring the coming of Moshiach now!!