Temple Ner Tamid To Hold Interfaith ‘Rally Against Hate’

BLOOMFIELD, NJ — Temple Ner Tamid will host an interfaith “rally against hate” on Thursday, Feb. 2 in the wake of a recent Molotov cocktail attack.

According to an online posting from the Bloomfield synagogue, the event will take place at 6:30 p.m. at 963 Broad Street. Organizers wrote:

“Over the past few weeks, many of our communities have been suffering. Hate is pervasive throughout our society. This month has been hard for all of us. The Jewish community is healing from the attempted arson on Temple Ner Tamid, the nation was shocked by the murder of Tyre Nichols, and the BIPOC, AAPI, and LGBTQ+ communities are also struggling in their own way with local and national attacks on their identity and wellbeing. What can we collectively do? Come together in solidarity as we stand against hate in all its forms.”

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

"In the hours since the incident, we have prayed, reflected, and have helped each other heal from this traumatic event, and we are grateful for the amazing support received since the incident and the great concern that has been shared," Temple Ner Tamid Rabbi Marc Katz said.

"We must not forget that many communities across the country have suffered from violent and hateful attacks over the past months," Katz said. "We hope that Thursday evening's community event will be an opportunity to join together in solidarity across faiths and regions of the state, to unite, strengthen the voices of the great majority, and show that there is no place for violence or hate."

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.

Temple Ner Tamid – which includes residents of other nearby Essex County towns in addition to Bloomfield – says it is a “welcoming, diverse and musical Reform congregation” on its website. It has hosted a range of social justice talks and community town halls in the past, and has contributed to the community via gardening programs, homeless shelter outreach, food collections and other benefit events.

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