08/21/2026
Last Friday evening, a man entered Central Synagogue in Manhattan and violently disrupted the congregation, vandalised property, and assaulted a congregant and a security guard. While it seems he may have been experiencing a psychotic episode (it's reported that he said he was God), an attack on a synagogue on Shabbat during services in a context of rising antisemitism and hate crimes against Jews is terribly frightening.
These attacks are why we must keep our doors locked. Although the incidents do not tend to be organized and they often seem to grow out of some kind of individual instability, the fear and pain and damage they cause, both to those directly impacted and to all of us, is real. Also real is that in 2025, NYC recorded 330 anti-Jewish hate crimes, accounting for 57% of all hate crimes in the city, even though Jewish New Yorkers make up roughly 10% of the population.
I encourage us to respond by connecting more deeply to our Judaism, to our synagogue, and to our community. Tonight, as we light Shabbat candles, we will pray for the clergy and congregants at Central, that they will find comfort and healing after the violation they experienced last week. Tomorrow, we will engage in the study of Torah and in quiet reflection and prayer - as have our ancestors for thousands of years.
And I invite you to share words of comfort with them by emailing the congregation (link in the comments). There's a draft message included - but feel free to use your own words. May all of our people experience a Shabbat Shalom.
