The Hall of Justice in San Diego. (Photo courtesy District Attorney’s office)
San Diego County law enforcement officials Monday condemned the hate-related mass shooting in Australia and said that while there are no known similar, active threats in San Diego, officials were monitoring any and all potential local developments.
Monday’s joint statement from the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office, U.S. Attorney’s Office and FBI’s San Diego Field Office included a firm denouncement of antisemitism, which apparently motivated the shooting that killed 15 people during a Hanukkah event at Bondi Beach in Sydney.
San Diego U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon said, “We mourn for those murdered at Bondi Beach as they gathered to celebrate Hanukkah. While we have no information at this time suggesting any threat to San Diego, our law enforcement partners are fully engaged to protect our Jewish community.”
In the wake of the shooting, San Diego-area law enforcement agencies stepped up security at Hanukkah events and places of worship. Local law enforcement agencies also asked members of the public “to remain vigilant and report anything suspicious.”
The attack was also an unfortunate reminder of a violent attack on the Jewish community in San Diego.
Among the victims of the Bondi Beach shooting was Rabbi Eli Schlanger, nephew of Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein of the Chabad of Poway, which was the site of a mass shooting in 2019 that left one woman dead and Goldstein among those injured. Schlanger, 41 was a father of five and the head of the Chabad mission in Bondi, and had served the Jewish community there for over 18 years.
“Acts of violence like the one we witnessed in Sydney are horrifying and understandably cause concern as fear ripples across the Jewish community worldwide, and here in San Diego, especially during the observance of Hanukkah,” said San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan. “We feel a deep connection to the victims, including a survivor of the Poway Synagogue shooting who has now lost a nephew in the antisemitic murders in Australia. I want the public to know that our law-enforcement partners are vigilant, coordinated, and prepared, and that public safety remains our highest priority.”
Suspicious activity may be reported to local law enforcement by calling 959-320-1800 or sending tips to tips.fbi.gov or the Law Enforcement Coordination Center at sdlecc.org. A hate crime reporting tool is also available at the D.A.’s Office website at www.sdcda.org/helping/hate-crimes.
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