A man wearing a ski mask threw a Molotov cocktail at a New Jersey synagogue early Sunday, police and the synagogue said.
Police in Bloomfield, New Jersey, He said The suspect lit a Molotov cocktail around 3 a.m. Sunday and threw it at the Nir Tamed Temple. The synagogue and police said the fire broke out on impact and the suspect fled the scene.
Bloomfield Police released a still photo of the suspect.
Police said the Molotov cocktail bottle was shattered and the synagogue was not damaged. No one is hurt.
Nir Tamid TempleInc., which includes a K-12 preschool and religious school, said in a statement that it has canceled all activities for Sunday and expects a “heavy police presence for the week.”
Bloomfield Police
In a statement, Rabbi Mark Katz of Nir Tamid Synagogue said, “We will continue to do everything we can to keep our community safe.”
“When the weight of this gets really heavy, I remind the congregation that every single day, no matter what happens, in Jewish communities around the world, children are named, children are educated, and people are married,” Katz said. “Our religious traditions continue. No act of hate can stop the power of religious freedom.”
Sunday’s attack comes just days after Holocaust Remembrance Day.
Dov Ben Shimon, CEO of the Jewish Federation of Metrowest New Jersey, tweet Sunday That “this incident comes amid a climate of intimidation and intolerance, and an escalating wave of hate crimes against Jews and hate speech against Jews.”
In November, the FBI in Newark Issue a warning On social media that she had received “credible information about a widespread threat to synagogues” in New Jersey. Soon it was an 18-year-old man from Middlesex County They arrested and charged With the threat of attacking the synagogue and the Jews.
Referring to the November incident, the New Jersey Anti-Defamation League He also said that Sunday’s incident comes amid “a surge in anti-Semitic incidents.”
NJ Homeland Security tweeted It is “closely watching” the incident.
New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin he said in a statement Sunday That his office will coordinate with local, county, state, and federal law enforcement. He said his office was also aware of an attack on members of a church in Monmouth County that could have been motivated by prejudice.
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy tweeted Sunday that he was briefed on both incidents as well.
