Hillel hosts vigil for the Chabad of Poway

USD community gathered to remember the victims of the synagogue shooting

Amy Inkrott / News Editor / The USD Vista

Maria Gaughan, Assistant Director of University Ministry at the University of San Diego, lives just two blocks away from the Chabad of San Diego. On April 27, this normally-safe community was flipped upside down when a gunman attacked the neighborhood’s synagogue, killing one woman and injuring three others. 

“I was devastated,” Gaughan said. “A majority of my neighbors are members of the Chabad. My initial reaction was the pain I felt for my community and my neighbors who are such good people. We have such a safe little community there.”

Gaughan’s six-year-old son and several of the congregation’s families attend the elementary school near the Chabad. After this tragedy, her son learned about the realities of mass shootings.

“My son had to find out that there is evil in the world,” Gaughan said. “Everyone wants to protect their children and have their children believe that they are in a safe place. But it became clear that no one, not even a little community like the one here in Poway, is safe.” 

As people gathered at the Chabad for the last day of Passover, a celebration of the freedom of the Jewish people, a shooter opened fire on the congregation. The 19-year-old gunman from Cal State San Marcos University killed one woman and injured three others before his gun malfunctioned. Lori Kaye was killed after diving in front of Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein to shield him from the bullets. Goldstein was shot in the hand, causing him to lose his index finger. Eight-year-old Noya Dahan received shrapnel wounds in her leg and face. Her uncle, Almog Peretz, was also shot in the leg. United States Army veteran Oscar Stewart tried to tackle the shooter, but the gunman quickly fled. Off-duty Border Patrol agent Jonathan Morales fired at the shooter as he ran from the building.

This shooting at the Chabad of Poway left members of the University of San Diego campus community stunned and heartbroken. On Thursday, May 2, a group of 90 people gathered in front of the University Centers to stand in solidarity with those impacted by the shooting. Students from USD’s Hillel shared messages of hope with the campus community in remembrance of those injured and killed during the attack. 

The death of Lori Kaye was remembered at USD’s vigil by Jewish Student Union President Joshua Glasser. Glasser reflected on the relationship he formed with Kaye through his volunteer work. 

“Lori Kaye was someone I knew personally,” Glasser said. “Throughout high school I was involved with an organization called Friendship Circle which specialized in helping people with special needs…Lori’s commitment to the Friendship Circle truly shows the type of person she was. She had nothing to gain from being a part of it but she volunteered at every event due to the goodness of her heart.” 

Throughout his testimony, Glasser continued to emphasize the value of Kaye’s heroic sacrifice. 

“Our sages teach us that ‘anyone who destroys a life is considered by Scripture to have destroyed an entire world; and anyone who saves a life is as if he saved an entire world,’” Glasser said. “In other words, the loss of one person’s life is equivalent to the loss of hundreds of people.”

Glasser viewed the attack on the Chabad as the continued spirit anti-semitism in the world.

“Our people continue to say ‘never again’ when talking about the Holocaust, but it has happened again,” Glasser said. “People who hate us do not hate us because of our religion or our political ideals, they hate us because we are Jews. Whether we are religious or secular, rich or poor, right wing or left wing, none of us are immune to anti-semitism.”

As the sun began to set, other individuals stood at the podium to share messages of peace, love, and hope with the gathered community. With the Israeli flag draped across his shoulders, junior Zachary Margulis read aloud the statement issued by Rabbi Goldstein following the attack. The statement highlighted the resiliency of the Jewish community and called all people toward greater love and tolerance. 

“Rabbi Goldstein talked about the inevitability of darkness,” Margulis said. “But it’s up to us in order to bring light upon the darkness. You can’t fight darkness with more darkness… (Goldstein’s) message was so pure. He was shot at by someone who wanted to murder him, and all he had to say was go shine some light on the world, do a good deed, make somebody’s day, go to synagogue, and don’t be scared of being a Jew.”

Afterward, Margulis continued to reflect on the Poway attack. Margulis explained that he learned about the attack within minutes through a notification on his phone. 

“It was heartbreaking,” Margulis said. “Of course it’s heartbreaking, but I’m not surprised unfortunately. My human instinct was just sheer terror, not to the degree of what those people felt, but personally, especially being Jewish with an attack on a synagogue. That man may have only shot a few people, but he was going for the Jewish community as a whole.”

Since that day, Margulis has sensed the gravity of this shooting as it impacts his own community in San Diego. 

“It’s where I feel most comfortable,” Margulis said. “I grew up in synagogue. It’s safe, it’s warm. But then again, now, I do look over my shoulder and out the door. I do understand that there is a threat. The sad thing now is that you never really know. This is not the first time this has happened, and it’s not going to end.”

The vigil concluded with a number of traditional Hebrew songs and prayers for hope. Together, the community sang “Hineh Mah Tov” with lyrics conveying “how good and how pleasant it is for brothers and sisters to dwell together in unity.”

In the first few months of 2019, the United States has seen 109 different shootings, killing 131 and injuring nearly 400 more. However, members of the USD community were encouraged to be a beacon of light despite these continued acts of hatred and intolerance in the world.