Topline
A New Jersey synagogue was attacked Sunday by a man who threw a molotov cocktail at the building, local police said, and authorities are investigating the attack as a “bias-motivated” crime, amid a nationwide rise in incidents motivated by antisemitism.
Police tape hangs across the street in front of the house that Dennis Rader lives in February 26, … [+]
Key Facts
Officers responded to a report of damaged property at the Temple Ner Tamid in Bloomfield, New Jersey, located about 10 miles from New York City, at around 9:30 a.m., according to the Bloomfield Police Department.
The bottle broke but did not ignite, and no damage to the temple was observed.
Surveillance footage of the attempted arson showed a male suspect approaching the building around 3:19 a.m., when he threw a molotov cocktail at the building’s front door, Bloomfield police said.
The BPD released footage of the suspect, who is believed to be a caucasian male, wearing a ski mask and black clothes and carrying the bottle.
New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin said in a statement his office and local and federal agencies are investigating whether this incident, and another that occurred Saturday at a church in Monmouth County, were “bias-motivated” incidents, and tried to reassure residents, particularly those who are Black and Jewish, that law enforcement is taking steps to ensure safety for all.
Tangent
Platkin noted the incident took place “while violence continues to erupt in Israel,” likely referring to the seven people who were shot to death on Friday when leaving a synagogue in East Jerusalem and the two who were injured on Saturday in separate a shooting in Jerusalem’s Old City, which the Anti Defamation League called “dual terrorist attacks.” The two shootings came amid tensions in the region, including an Israeli raid in the West Bank city of Jenin that killed nine Palestinians and rocket attacks launched from the Gaza Strip.
Surprising Fact
Friday marked International Holocaust Remembrance Day.
Key Background
In November, the Newark FBI bureau said it “received credible information of a broad threat to synagogues in NJ,” though the agency later located a suspect. Over 2,700 antisemitic instances occurred in the U.S. in 2021, according to the ADL. This is the most the group had recorded since it started collecting data in 1979, and marked a 34% increase from 2020. Some 853 of these occurrences were categorized as vandalism, or property damage, a 14% increase in this type of crime from the year prior. According to the FBI, 324 anti-Jewish hate crimes occurred in 2021, out of 7,303 hate crimes overall that year, a decrease from the 683 that happened in 2020. Most instances of anti-Jewish hate crimes in 2021 were some form of property damage or vandalism, according to FBI data.
Further Reading
Man who tossed Molotov cocktail at synagogue door sought (Associated Press)
Molotov Cocktail Hurled at a New Jersey Synagogue, Police Say (New York Times)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/marisadellatto/2023/01/29/new-jersey-synagogue-attacked-by-man-throwing-molotov-cocktail-police-say/