Hundreds of people showed up at Temple Israel in Alameda Friday night at a vigil for what is now being investigated as a hate crime.
Sometime early on Aug. 17, two classroom windows at the synagogue had been smashed by a rock, and an unknown assailant had tried to break down the building’s front door, which is made of glass. The assailant’s image was caught on surveillance cameras, according to KTVU-Fox News, which put the number of those at the vigil at 250.
Members and clergy from several local congregations, Jewish and Christian, showed up Aug. 18 at 7 p.m. to show their support for the Temple Israel family. Representatives from other East Bay synagogues were there, including Temple Sinai and Congregation Beth Abraham in Oakland, Piedmont’s Kehilla and Congregation Beth Emek in Pleasanton, according to the Temple Israel website. Also present were Alameda elected officials, Oakland City Councilman Dan Kalb, and representatives from the JCC East Bay, the Anti-Defamation League, Union for Reform Judaism and the Jewish Community Relations Council.
At least two dozen members of Temple Sinai were at the vigil, including Rabbi Jacqueline Mates-Muchin, who brought her entire family with her. Earlier in the day, Sinai posted a notice on its Facebook page asking congregants to show up there instead of attending regular worship at Sinai.
“We wanted to show our solidarity,” said Oakland resident Sam Schuchat, president of Temple Sinai’s board, who was there with other board members. “It could have been us. Probably next time, it will be.”
After the vigil, many of those attending crowded into the synagogue for Shabbat services. The crowd was so numerous that it overflowed the sanctuary, spilling over into the social hall, whose doors had to be opened to make room.
Temple Israel is currently without full-time clergy, letting go of its rabbi and cantor just last month, and interim Rabbi Steven Chester was out of town, so services were led by former Cantor Brian Reich, assisted by congregational president Genevieve Pastor-Cohen. Several rabbis and Christian clergy members spoke from the pulpit as well.
The congregation cheered when Alameda Police Cpt. Lance Leibnitz announced the incident would be investigated as a hate crime, according to KTVU.
Earlier that day, state Assembly members Rob Bonta (D-Oakland) and Marc Levine (D-Marin and Sonoma counties) issued the following joint statement:
“We were deeply troubled to learn Temple Israel in Alameda was the target of vandalism yesterday. This is even more alarming with the recent rise of anti-Semitic attacks throughout our country. We stand with the congregation and the people of Alameda. We hope that police find the vandals responsible for this destruction and bring them to justice.”
No picture of the suspect?
none that has been released
Still nothing. No arrests, nothing. What possible reason could there be to not release a picture of a wanted person? Except, of course, when the wanted person isn’t white, because that would deflate all the good feelings about “standing up against hate”.
they show up for this, but the hate is being stoked at reem’s bakery in oakland and no one shows up to protest that.
Yes and that’s because it’s easy for community support when this act is assumed to be perpetrated by a white supremacist aka a far-right extremist but when the same type of hate and intolerance comes from a perceived “persecuted” minority, “progressives don’t consider anything wrong with it. 🙁
There have been many protests at that bakery.
I had wondered how the synagogue ended up in a shopping center. Apparently, the original synagogue in downtown Alameda was taken by eminent domain to be used by Alameda High School.
“Milestones in the temple’s history include the 1980 dedication of a new
building on Alameda’s Bay Farm Island, bordering a park and shopping
center. The city of Alameda took the original site by eminent domain,
Blatt said, but had a difficult job in demolishing the building because
the original congregants had done such a sturdy construction job. The
Alameda school district’s swimming center is now on the site of the
former synagogue.”
https://www.jweekly.com/1999/02/26/alameda-temple-marks-75-years-as-island-s-jewish-hub/
Particularly ironic given that AHS doesn’t believe in taking action or following through with disciplinary actions when it has to do with anti-semitism
I wonder if the hundreds of rabbis that showed up for the Black Lives Matter march in Berkeley a year ago, showed up for this event. I wonder if any people in the Black Community showed up…………….Oh never mind, we all know the answer to that.
Sadly, we do.
oh do we? what would that answer be?
Jack: The answer is………..are you ready for this??????? Jews fight for everyone else’s rights but their own. THAT is the answer. Do you agree? Incidentally, I go back much further than YOU. U.S. Army 293rd Engr, Bn. Baumholder, Germany. 1966-67. I’m no spring chicken, as you can see. I’ve also been fighting Jew-hatred for years on college campuses and on the streets for many years, where very few Jews would get involved. I’m sure you can see my frustration. I’ve also seen a lot of Black Jew-hatred during the past 50 years, Where Blacks have jumped on the “palestinian” band wagon to attack Jews. I have no illusions anymore, can you see why?
oh! how this world, loves to condemn ELOHEEM and/or THEIR Son to command this stuff to happen to THEIR enemies.
instead of answering the wake up calls, and wonder what you have been doing wrong as THEIR rather be enemies again. and can’t understand how your being in mental freewill charge of yourselves is not physically happening the way you want. here in THEIR Giving, This Physical Story of Creation again.
the chosen stubborn whipping boy, refusing to understand why they are being whipped time and time again for their arrogant mental attitude. blaming others, when things are commanded to go bad looking. and taking all the credit, when things are commanded to seemingly look good.
exact same 7 Day physical story as the last time is again. with the whole world, mentally failing again here in IT so totally missing the mark. having never accepting, Adam always returns as THEIR Male Child adam and his mate at this end of the sixth day with even being given 1948 years after the death of Adam to see it coming.
the exact same physical story again, where Adam is removed from the middle east garden and is transplanted in america as two he and she gentiles to represent the whole world.
Hmm… Where is the diversity? The crowd looks absolutely monochromatic. In the least that “born-again” imam should have shown up after all the love and acceptance from our so-called leader, Tsk-tsk..
Sadly, yes. That’s true.
Were you there? I was. I saw various races/religions/etc.
And how did you know their religion?