To watch the NBC interview click here
By Donald H. Harrison
SAN DIEGO – Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein, recuperating from the loss of an index finger in the shooting at his synagogue in Poway, paid tribute from his hospital bed to a congregant who may well be responsible for saving his life.
Interviewed by telephone by Willie Geist of NBC’s “Today Show,” Goldstein described Lori Gilbert Kaye who succumbed to wounds received after she jumped between alleged shooter John Earnest and the rabbi as “a pioneering member of our congregation” and “an activist.”
He said when he started the Chabad of Poway 35 years ago “from the ground up,” that Kaye “was the one who helped me secure the construction loan, and she has been a steadfast member.”
Describing her as a “philanthropist” and a “kind soul,” known by everyone in the community, he related that “two weeks ago, our youngest got married in New York. She (Kaye) and her husband flew out to be at the wedding to dance with us at the wedding. She is such a dear friend. I have known her for 33 years and I’m just so heartbroken by the senseless killing.”
Other organizations fondly remembered Kaye, including Hadassah, which noted that she was a member of one of its groups, and Jewish National Fund, whose national president Sol Lizerbram pledged along with his wife Lauren to begin a forest in Israel in Kaye’s honor.
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A memorial service for Lori Gilbert Kaye will be held at Chabad of Poway at 2 p.m., Monday, April 29, with burial to follow at the Garden of Eden at El Camino Memorial Park, Chabad announced.
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In his telephone interview with NBC’s Geist, Rabbi Goldstein reflected on the shootings and what impact it may have on the Jewish community.
“The Constitution of the United States guarantees freedom of religion for all faiths,” Goldstein said. “And we are so grateful to live here in this country that protects our rights to live openly and proudly as Jews. One thing I guarantee you: we will not be intimidated or deterred by this. Terrorists will not win.”
Calling anti-Semitism a form of “senseless hate,” Goldstein went on to say that “beneath the surface of every terrible experience there lies an opportunity to grow and increase in goodness.
“I’m just fresh out of surgery and much thoughts are running through my mind. I just think to myself, you know, this horrific event must raise alarm and concern for the safety of all places of worship. And our government needs to continue to step up and help (prioritize) sending security to our houses of worship. I pray for healing during this time of pain and grief and I ask that we all do something to add more light to combat this evil darkness that’s out there. That {adding light} can happen through compassion and loving kindness.”
Geist asked Rabbi Goldstein about reports that he continued to deliver a sermon even after he was shot.
“I continued not in the sanctuary but outside as we were sheltering and waiting in place for the authorities to arrive,” Goldstein clarified. “I got up there and I spoke from my heart … It was just 70 years ago during the Holocaust we were gunned down like this and I just wanted to let my fellow Americans know we are not going to let this happen here, not here in San Diego … not in the United States of America.”
His reference to the Holocaust was timely. The shooting on Shabbat morning of the last day of Passover preceded by one day various Yom Hashoah commemorations in San Diego County, including a community-wide commemoration at the Jewish Community Center, which Jonathan Greenblatt, head of the national Anti-Defamation League, decided to attend after news of the shootings went public.
Another Holocaust commemoration was planned Sunday evening at Tifereth Israel Synagogue where a movie telling the life story of the late Holocaust Survivor Ruth Goldshmiedova Sax was to be premiered by her daughter Sandy Scheller and filmmaker Olena Zernychenko.
And, a vigil for victims of the Poway shooting was scheduled for 7 p.m. tonight (Sunday) at Valle Verde Park, one block from the congregation. Mayor Steve Vaus and Rabbi Goldstein have both indicated they will address the crowd.
Law enforcement agencies planned stepped-up security at all three events, as well as at numerous houses of worship, in the wake of Saturday’s shootings in Poway.
Meanwhile, comments from far and wide about the shootings continued to pour into the offices of San Diego Jewish World. They may be read at the end of Saturday’s article detailing the shootings.
https://www.sdjewishworld.com/2019/04/27/woman-slain-three-others-wounded-at-chabad-of-poway/
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Harrison is editor of San Diego Jewish World. He may be contacted via donald.harrison@sdjewishworld.com