WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — The recent shooting deaths of two Israeli embassy staff members outside the Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., has sent shock waves through the community and sparked serious concerns about rising antisemitism.
D.C. police reported that the suspect shouted "Free Palestine" while in custody, bringing further attention to the troubling climate surrounding the incident.
Rabbi Moshe Scheiner of the Palm Beach Synagogue expressed his profound sorrow and alarm over the tragedy, stating that it exemplifies a growing trend of violence rooted in antisemitism.
"Our reaction is heartbreak, devastation, and such blatant antisemitism," Rabbi Scheiner remarked. "They were almost ready to propose, to start a family, to think about their loved ones, their parents that were preparing for an engagement, a wedding, and now they're going to a funeral and there could be nothing sadder."
Scheiner believes this event should act as a severe wake-up call for the United States regarding the pervasive issue of antisemitism.
In light of the shooting, WPTV's Joel Lopez asked whether there is a fear that this act might incite further antisemitic violence in the community.
The rabbi emphasized that "the terrorists want us to live in fear," urging individuals to stand up proudly as Jews.
Highlighting the commitment of local law enforcement, Scheiner noted the close partnership between his synagogue and the Palm Beach Police Department, which remains vigilant about security and is prepared to implement necessary measures.
"It doesn't matter if we're Jewish, Christian, Muslim, we're America, and we can have differences of opinions on things but we have to first and foremost respect each other and there's never room for murder or any form of violence," he emphasized.
Delving deeper into the issue, Lopez uncovered alarming statistics from the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), which recorded unprecedented levels of antisemitic incidents across the country last year.
Florida ranked as the state with the seventh highest number of incidents, documenting a total of 353 reported cases last year, including 292 instances of harassment, 55 acts of vandalism, and six assaults.
The total is lower than in 2023, but remains higher than the three previous years.
Palm Beach County led the state with the highest number of incidents, totaling 51.
Region S Palm Beach County
West Boca man threatened mass shooting at synagogue, arrest report says
Last June, the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office arrested a West Boca Raton man accused of making antisemitic threats on social media to carry out a mass shooting at a synagogue.
He was booked into the Palm Beach County Jail on a charge of making written threats to commit a mass shooting or threat of terrorism.
To address community safety, Lopez sought insights from Michael Hoffman, president of the Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County.
"What are we doing to make sure people are comfortable coming to services?" Lopez inquired.
Hoffman assured that the federation is in constant communication with law enforcement and has not identified any specific threats at this time but is ready to increase security patrols if necessary.
"We're living under a constant state of threat from acts of antisemitism and hatred," Hoffman stated. "We must be resilient and resolute."
He added that the federation has reached out to partners in Washington who are connected to the victims of the recent shooting, reiterating the heartbreaking emotional toll the incident has taken on the community.
"The community up in Washington is just absolutely heartbroken, they're absolutely shattered." said Hoffman. "Attending an event in the community on a normal Wednesday evening just to walk out and to head home and to be gunned down by this murderer is tragic."
