Conservative Synagogue in Israel Booby Trapped on Tisha B’Av
Sharing the Holy City: Observant Jews pray in mourning for Tisha B?Av at the Western Wall Image by getty images
A Conservative synagogue in central Israel filed a complaint with police after it was booby trapped on Tisha b’Av eve.
The front doors of the Yedid Nefesh synagogue in Modiin were blocked with potted plants and ropes were tied in front of other synagogue exits in order to trip congregants leaving the building while members were inside for services on Saturday night, the Masorti movement in Israel reported Sunday on its Facebook page.
Masorti, the Israeli branch of the Conservative movement, called the episode one of “baseless hatred,” which is what is said to have brought about the destruction of the Second Temple commemorated on Tisha b’Av.
The incident “could have ended in serious bodily harm,” the post said. “The congregants went home with a great sense of unease.”
Six years ago, the front doors of the synagogue were set on fire in an arson attack.
Why I became the Forward’s editor-in-chief
You are surely a friend of the Forward if you’re reading this. And so it’s with excitement and awe — of all that the Forward is, was, and will be — that I introduce myself to you as the Forward’s newest editor-in-chief.
And what a time to step into the leadership of this storied Jewish institution! For 129 years, the Forward has shaped and told the American Jewish story. I’m stepping in at an intense time for Jews the world over. We urgently need the Forward’s courageous, unflinching journalism — not only as a source of reliable information, but to provide inspiration, healing and hope.
, editor-in-chiefSupport our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
