Essex County Mourns Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooting – Montclair, NJ Patch

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — It’s more than 300 miles from Essex County to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the site of Saturday’s tragic shooting at the Tree of Life Congregation synagogue. But the act of violence – which some are calling the deadliest assault on the Jewish community in American history – has inspired an outpouring of mourning, outrage and shock in Essex County.

Two brothers and a husband and wife were among the eight men and three women slain when a gunman opened fire inside a Pittsburgh synagogue. The massacre rocked the diverse Squirrel Hill neighborhood and led alarmed religious leaders to express “grave concern” for the country’s Jewish population.

In response to the shootings, the Essex County Sheriff’s Office increased security efforts around Essex County’s synagogues and other houses of worship.

“This act of senseless violence has prompted us to increase these patrol operations,” Sheriff Armando Fontoura stated on Saturday. “Additionally, our bomb squad and K-9 unit are on full standby should their assistance be needed.”

The sheriff continued:

“In addition to our condolences to the Pittsburgh victims and their families, we want all residents of Essex County to feel safe and secure as they attend the religious services of their choice. Our efforts mirror those of the NYPD which also implemented increased their awareness at religious sites today. We urge our residents to contact us if they see something that appears to be suspicious. The telephone number of our Communications and Command Center is 973-621-4111.”

The Port Authority PBA stated that a K9 team “secured” the flag carrier of Israel, El Al Israel Airlines, at Newark Airport on Saturday.

“Our thoughts are with the people of Pittsburgh and our brothers and sisters of the Pittsburgh Police Department,’ the PBA stated. (Story continues below photo)

MOURNING AND VIGILS AGAINST ‘SENSELESS VIOLENCE’

Across Essex County, an outpouring of elected officials, houses of worship, community organizations and residents mourned for the victims and called for healing in its wake.

The West Orange Human Relations Commission is spearheading a public candlelight vigil from 6 to 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 30 on the steps of West Orange Town Hall, 66 Main Street. (Learn more here)

According to the commission:

“The shooting in Pittsburgh at the Tree of Life Synagogue is an absolute tragedy. It is important that we continue to show unity and solidarity to counter unwarranted violence against anyone everywhere. Let’s show that #wearewestorange and that we stand with our Jewish brothers and sisters against mass murder and senseless violence and any anti-Semitic behavior. As we continue to pray for those who lost their lives, their families and friends, those injured and especially the first responders for their selfless acts of bravery, we know that only through unity can this heavy burden beget understanding.”

The West Essex Ministerium Association will also host an interfaith “Call To Prayer” on Tuesday, Oct. 30 at 7 p.m. at Caldwell United Methodist Church, 8 Academy Road. The evening will include prayers, readings, sacred music and lighting of candles to remember those lost at the Tree of Life synagogue. (Learn more here)

An interfaith vigil of mourning and solidarity with the Pittsburgh Jewish community was held in Montclair on Saturday night, which included congregants and leaders from Bnai Keshet, Temple Ner Tamid and Shomrei Emunah.

“Our hearts are broken and raging, may we be soothed by being together,” wrote Elliott Tepperman and Ariann Weitzman, rabbis at Bnai Keshet. “May the One who is in every place comfort those in mourning, the injured, all of Israel, and all who dwell on earth.”

The Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest NJ – which hosted a “solemn observance of mourning and outrage” at Temple B’nai Abraham in Livingston on Sunday – wrote that its members are mourning those lost in the tragedy.

“There is no place in our society for this tragic and senseless violence fueled by bigotry and hate,” said Federation CEO Dov Ben-Shimon. “We send our support to our sister community in Pittsburgh and stand ready to offer them assistance when needed. May the memory of those lost be a blessing for us all.”

‘COLLECTIVE COMPASSION’ NEEDED

U.S. Congressman Donald Payne Jr., who represents towns including Newark and Orange in Essex County, offered condolences to families, friends, and loved ones affected by the tragic shooting.

Payne wrote:

“The tragedy of gun violence we have seen in houses of worship these past years is gut wrenching. The racist and anti-Semitic poison in these shooters’ hearts is stoked on message boards and by fibers of society’s fringe that have drifted in the fog of hate into our politics. But as a people, we are full of the penetrating light of hope. Hope that our collective compassion for one another will blow winds of justice across our nation.”

Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo Jr. said that the shooting was an act of senseless violence.

“It demonstrates the need for stronger gun control laws and greater understanding and tolerance in society,” DiVincenzo said. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families of the victims.”

Rutgers University Chancellor Nancy Cantor said that the Essex County community would do well to remember the words of Newark Rabbi Joachim Prinz, spoken from the steps of Lincoln Memorial at the March on Washington rally 55 years ago:

“Neighbor is not a geographic term. It is a moral concept. It means our collective responsibility for the preservation of man’s [sic] dignity and integrity.”

“In a community as beautifully diverse as ours and as committed as we are to not just be diverse, but to do the hard work of diversity,” Cantor wrote. “In the days, weeks, and months ahead, let us resolve to redouble our efforts to work on fundamental things together, whether as simple as voting—which is as important a collective project as we have in our diverse democracy—or as complex as working in partnership with others to assure equal educational opportunity, spur equitable growth, amplify the voices of those too often unheard, or leverage our scientific knowledge to make our communities healthier, safer, and more prosperous.”

“To live, work, and study in an environment as diverse as ours is a profound privilege,” Cantor concluded. “Let us not take that privilege for granted, and instead leverage it to help heal ourselves, our community, our nation and our world.”

IN ESSEX COUNTY: BOMB THREATS, EXPLOSIVE IN CEMETERY

In September, the Essex County Sheriff’s Office launched a probe into an incident at B’nai Abraham Cemetery in Newark after a makeshift explosive device was found in the area during the Jewish High Holy Days. The device was immediately rendered safe and removed to Essex County bomb headquarters, authorities said.

The Essex County Sheriff’s Office offered a cash reward up to $5,000 for information leading to the arrest of the person or persons who placed the explosive – a commercial firework attached to a can of lubricant – on a headstone at the cemetery.

An investigation into the incident continues, the sheriff’s office stated Saturday.

Last year, the Jewish Community Center MetroWest (JCC) in West Orange was one of more than a dozen such centers nationwide to receive bomb threats, which were seen in New Jersey, Colorado, New York, Massachusetts, Wisconsin and California.

The JCC in West Orange stepped up security on its property in the wake of the threats, reports said.

Learn more about posting announcements or events to your local Patch site here. Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com

Main Photo: Shutterstock

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