Temple Ner Tamid in Bloomfield is trying to recover after the attempted arson attack on Jan. 29. It held an interfaith rally against hate on the night of Feb. 2, with elected, civic and religious leaders. Senator Bob Menendez was there.
“Whether it is a march of white supremacists in Charlottesville, swastikas spray painted on Jewish headstones in Illinois, shootings at synagogues in Poway or Pittsburgh, or this latest attack here in Bloomfield, one thing is certain — we will not be silent in response to hate,” he said.
Representative Bill Pascrell also spoke, and said finding ways to protect ourselves is important, but it doesn’t end there.
“There’ll never be enough security. If we don’t attack the source we will never be safe. I don’t care how many locks we put on our doors,” he said.
Rabbi Marc Katz said the rally went a long way toward helping the congregation heal, but added that sadly, they know incidents like this can happen anytime.
“The Jewish community lives in a kind of perpetual state of anxiety knowing that there is a generalized threat out there and that threat may one day reach your doorstep,” he said.
26-year-old Nicholas Malindretros of Clifton has been arrested and charged. He faces up to 20 years in jail.
The temple was not damaged and there were no injuries.