Ski-Mask Wearing Man Throws Firebomb at Door of New Jersey Synagogue

Police in Bloomfield, New Jersey, are investigating an incident in which a firebomb was hurled toward a synagogue in the town over the weekend.

Summoned to the scene on Sunday morning after a report of property damage, police determined a Molotov cocktail had been tossed at the front door of Temple Ner Tamid.

A review of surveillance footage revealed that at 3:19 a.m. on Sunday, an unidentified ski-mask wearing individual — believed to be a Caucasian male — had approached the synagogue and lit and threw the incendiary device, before escaping.

BIAS INCIDENT: ATTEMPTED ARSON pic.twitter.com/9jrenF6USm

— Bloomfield Division of Public Safety (@BlfdPublicSafe) January 29, 2023

Temple Ner Tamid Rabbi Marc Katz commented, “We have and will continue to do everything in our power to keep our community safe. Everything worked as it should. Our cameras recorded the incident and our shatter-resistant doors held.”

“But what I cannot do, is convince our community not to grow despondent,” he continued. “There is hate everywhere, and hate wins when we let it penetrate. When the weight of this grows too heavy, I remind my congregation that every day, despite what is happening, in Jewish communities around the world, babies are named, children are educated, people are married. Our religious traditions continue. No act of hate can stop the power of religious freedom.”

The New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness said it was “closely monitoring” the incident.

NJOHSP is aware and closely monitoring an early morning incident in Bloomfield, NJ, where an unidentified suspect targeted a synagogue with an incendiary device. No injuries or property damage have been reported. Law enforcement is actively investigating this incident.

— NJ Homeland Security (@NJOHSP) January 29, 2023

In 2022, the CAM Antisemitism Research Center tracked 957 antisemitic incidents in the U.S. — up 12.2% from 853 the previous year.