NJ Muslim Group Stands With ‘Firebombed’ Bloomfield Synagogue

BLOOMFIELD, NJ — The state branch of America’s largest Muslim civil liberties organization says it stands in solidarity with a Jewish synagogue in Bloomfield after a man threw a lit Molotov cocktail at the building last weekend.

On Tuesday, the New Jersey chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NJ) released a statement condemning the “attempted firebombing” of Temple Ner Tamid. Read it here.

A man wearing a ski mask threw the ignited weapon at the temple building early Sunday morning. The glass bottle broke, but didn’t damage the building, police said.

Video footage of the attack has since been released, and authorities have offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the person responsible for the “attempted arson/bias incident.” Read More: Video Shows Man Hurl Fiery Molotov Cocktail At Bloomfield Synagogue

A rising wave of community leaders, elected officials and clergy have expressed support for the temple and decried the incident as an act of hate, including CAIR-NJ Executive Director Selaedin Maksut.

“We condemn this deeply disturbing attack on a house of worship and stand in solidarity with the Jewish community in Bloomfield,” Maksut said. “We urge law enforcement authorities to be swift and thorough in their investigation and ensure that houses of worship are protected from such attacks.”

Maksut added that CAIR and the American Muslim community stand in solidarity with anyone “challenging anti-Jewish hatred, anti-Black racism, xenophobia, Islamophobia, white supremacy, and all other forms of bigotry.”

Other groups that have decried the attack include the Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest NJ, the Anti-Defamation League of New York and New Jersey, the Jewish Federation of Northern New Jersey, the American Jewish Committee, the Community Security Service and the Community Security Initiative.

In addition to the above, the attack has seen condemnation from a diverse range of elected officials and organizations, including Republicans with the New Jersey GOP, which tweeted that the synagogue attack was "disturbing and reprehensible."

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