FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 27, 2019

CONTACT: Elliot Levy, [email protected], 202-800-7409

BEND THE ARC: WE CANNOT ACCEPT AN AMERICA WHERE MASSACRES IN SYNAGOGUES BECOME NORMAL

New York – Following the devastating shooting at the Chabad of Poway synagogue in California that murdered one person and left three injured, Stosh Cotler, CEO of Bend the Arc: Jewish Action, released the following statement:

“Our hearts are breaking for the victims of the shooting at the Chabad of Poway and their loved ones. On this last day of Passover, exactly six months after the shooting at Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, we again mourn together with our Jewish community as we collectively experience the pain of antisemitic violence in our houses of prayer.

“Our hearts are also breaking for our country and for the damage that has been done to our society. Although it may be hard to accept, the fact that we witnessed yet another act of white nationalist violence is sadly not ‘hard to believe,’ as President Trump said in response to the shooting. Not when the President and his allies have helped mainstream white nationalism in American politics, making our nation ripe for the acts of terror in Poway and in Pittsburgh, where both shooters were inspired by conspiracy theories peddled by the President and his allies, and contributing to an increase in acts of antisemitic, anti-Muslim, anti-immigrant, anti-Black and anti-LGBTQ violence in recent years. Not when social media companies allow white nationalist groups to use their platforms to spread their toxic hate. Not when our national leaders not only fail to take the rise of this dangerous and violent movement seriously, but continue to embolden this hatred every day through their radical policies, which harm the same communities targeted by white nationalists.

“This violence, driven by hatred and bigotry, must end. Americans, Jewish and otherwise, deserve to be safe, and we deserve elected leaders who care for our lives. Now more than ever, we are committed to building solidarity within our Jewish community and with our allies to ensure our collective safety, defeat white nationalism and advance a vision of a multi-racial democracy where all of us can live, love and thrive.”