Chabad of Poway

Last updated

Chabad of Poway
Religion
Affiliation Orthodox Judaism
Ecclesiastical or organizational status Synagogue
StatusActive
Location
Location16934 Chabad Way, Poway, San Diego County, California 92064
CountryUnited States
San Diego County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas.svg
Red pog.svg
Location in San Diego County
Geographic coordinates 33°01′09″N117°03′11″W / 33.0191°N 117.0531°W / 33.0191; -117.0531
Architecture
Founder
  • Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein
  • Devorie Goldstein
Date established1986 (as a congregation)
Completed1997
Capacity770 worshippers
Website
chabadpoway.com

Chabad of Poway is an Orthodox synagogue and community center located at 16934 Chabad Way, Poway, San Diego County, California, in the United States. The congregation was founded in 1986, and the synagogue, completed in 1997, includes a 770-seat sanctuary, preschool, afternoon Hebrew school, senior center, library, and mikveh, serving the Jewish communities of Poway and Rancho Bernardo.

Contents

On April 27, 2019, the synagogue was the site of a shooting in which one person was killed and three were injured. [1] [2]

History

Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein in 2010 Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein (cropped).jpg
Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein in 2010

Chabad of Poway was founded in 1986 by Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein, a 24-year-old shaliach from Brooklyn, New York, and his new wife Devorie. [3] [4] The congregation first met in a storefront in the Rancho Bernardo shopping center, and then moved to a one-acre site where it opened a preschool in mobile trailers. [4] A senior center was opened in 1990. [4]

In 1997, the synagogue built a 20,000 sq ft (1,900 m2) community center containing a 770-seat sanctuary, preschool, afternoon Hebrew school, senior center, library, mikveh, and meeting rooms. [4] [5] Shluchim Rabbi Mendy and Bluma Rubenfeld joined the staff of Chabad of Poway in 2005. [4] In 2006, Goldstein was named the Jewish chaplain for the Poway Sheriff's Department. [3]

In 2010, the synagogue enhanced its security measures by applying for and receiving a $75,000 grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). It used the funds to add "security systems and alarms, a security assessment and installation of 16 cameras, fencing and lighting". [6] In May 2018, the synagogue applied for a $150,000 FEMA grant to install gates and more secure doors. This grant was approved in September 2018, but the funds were not released until March 2019, one month before the shooting. [6]

Goldstein charged for tax and wire fraud

On July 14, 2020, Goldstein pleaded guilty to tax and wire fraud for allegedly misusing at least $6.2 million in contributions and donations to the Chabad of Poway. According to a charge sheet filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of California, Goldstein and five others had participated in elaborate tax fraud schemes using the synagogue's charitable status since the mid-1980s. [7] In one scheme, Goldstein re-routed tax-deductible donations to the synagogue back to the donors, keeping a portion for himself. He also laundered illicit gains through the purchase of gold coins. [7] The FBI and IRS began investigating the case in 2016 and Goldstein reportedly was planning to plead guilty to the charges in October 2018. [7] After making his guilty plea in 2020, Goldstein returned $1 million in gold coins to the government and will be expected to pay $2.5 million in restitution to the IRS. The district attorney's office said it would recommend probation rather than a maximum five-year prison sentence, due to Goldstein's cooperation with investigators and his "lifetime of service" to the synagogue and community. [7] [8] However, the judge rejected that punishment "as not appropriate given the severity of the crimes", and sentenced Goldstein to 14 months in jail. [9]

Upon learning of the case in late 2019, the synagogue removed Goldstein from his rabbinical position and the Chabad-Lubavitch headquarters in Crown Heights, New York, "dismissed him from his position as a representative of the movement". [10] In November 2019, Goldstein's son, Rabbi Mendel Goldstein, took over the day-to-day rabbinic duties of the congregation. [11]

Shooting

On April 27, 2019, John Earnest, a 19-year-old male from the San Diego suburb of Rancho Peñasquitos, entered the synagogue building during services on the last day of the Jewish Passover holiday and opened fire in the foyer. [12] [13] One woman, 60-year-old Lori Gilbert-Kaye, was killed and three other people were wounded, including Goldstein. [14] [15] According to witnesses, Gilbert-Kaye had tried to shield Goldstein from the gunfire. [16] The shooter's gun jammed after releasing ten bullets [17] and two congregants, one an off-duty United States Border Patrol officer, chased him out of the building. [18] [19] A short while later, Earnest called 911 and reported the shooting. [13] He was apprehended approximately 2 mi (3.2 km) from the synagogue. [18] The suspect had an AR-style rifle in his possession at the time of his arrest and had made many antisemitic and anti-Muslim comments. [20]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Poway, California</span> City in California, United States

Poway is a city in San Diego County, California, United States. Poway's rural roots influenced its motto "The City in the Country". The city had a population of 48,841 as of the 2020 United States census.

Spinka is the name of a Hasidic group within Haredi Judaism. The group originated in a city called Szaplonca, in Máramaros County, Kingdom of Hungary.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KNSD</span> NBC TV station in San Diego

KNSD is a television station in San Diego, California, United States, serving as the market's NBC outlet. It is owned and operated by the network's NBC Owned Television Stations alongside Poway-licensed Telemundo station KUAN-LD. KNSD and KUAN-LD share studios on Granite Ridge Drive in the Serra Mesa section of San Diego; through a channel sharing agreement, the two stations transmit using KNSD's spectrum from an antenna southeast of Spring Valley.

California's 50th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of California, and encompasses parts of the Mid-Coast and northeastern parts of San Diego County. Scott Peters is currently the U.S. representative for California's 50th congressional district.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rancho Bernardo High School</span> Public high school in San Diego, California, United States

Rancho Bernardo High School, or RBHS, is a public high school in the Poway Unified School District of San Diego County, California, United States. Rancho Bernardo High School was opened in 1991 as the district's third high school.

Alexander Koptsev is a Russian-born terrorist. On January 11, 2006, Kopstev burst into Bolshaya Bronnaya Synagogue in Moscow, Russia during evening prayers and stabbed eight people with a hunting knife before being wrestled to the ground by the congregation's leader, Rabbi Yitzhak Kogan, and his son Yosef Kogan. Four of those injured were in serious condition. On January 13, 2006, Koptsev was charged with racially motivated attempted murder and humiliation of a religious group. He has been described by Russian media as a racist skinhead.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rancho Peñasquitos, San Diego</span> Community of San Diego in California, United States

Rancho Peñasquitos is a suburban community in the northeastern part of the city of San Diego, California. It is named after the first Mexican land grant in the county, Rancho Santa Maria de Los Peñasquitos. The community abuts Los Peñasquitos Canyon Preserve, an open space preserve that offers hiking, biking, and equestrian trails. The community is commonly abbreviated "PQ."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1994 Brooklyn Bridge shooting</span> Terrorist attack on Jewish Americans

On March 1, 1994, Lebanese-born terrorist Rashid Baz shot at a van of 15 Chabad-Lubavitch Orthodox Jewish students who were traveling on the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City, killing one and injuring three others. In 2005, this shooting was reclassified as a terrorist attack.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chabad house</span> Religious outreach centres operated by the Chabad movement of Hasidic Judaism

A Chabad house is a centre for disseminating traditional Judaism by the Chabad movement. Chabad houses are run by a Chabad Shaliach (emissary), and Shalucha and their family. They are located in cities and on or near college campuses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Antisemitism in the United States</span> Hatred towards the Jewish people within the US

Antisemitism has existed for centuries in the United States. Most Jewish community relations agencies in the United States draw distinctions between antisemitism, which is measured in terms of attitudes and behaviors, and the security and status of American Jews, which are both measured by the occurrence of specific incidents. FBI data shows that in every year since 1991, Jews were the most frequent victims of religiously motivated hate crimes, according to a report which was published by the Anti-Defamation League in 2019. Evidence suggests that the true number of hate crimes against Jews is underreported, as is the case for many other targeted groups. In an attempt to combat anti-Semitism, the Biden administration launched the United States’ first-ever comprehensive U.S. National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism on May 25, 2023.

Crime in California refers to crime occurring within the U.S. state of California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brian Maienschein</span> American politician

Brian Maienschein is an American attorney and politician currently serving in the California State Assembly, representing the 76th district, encompassing parts of northeastern San Diego since 2012. Prior to serving in the state assembly, he was a member of the San Diego City Council, and the city's first Commissioner on Homelessness.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pittsburgh synagogue shooting</span> 2018 massacre in Pennsylvania

The Pittsburgh synagogue shooting was an antisemitic terrorist attack that took place at the Tree of Life – Or L'Simcha Congregation synagogue in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The congregation, along with New Light Congregation and Congregation Dor Hadash, which also worshipped in the building, was attacked during Shabbat morning services on October 27, 2018. The perpetrator killed eleven people and wounded six, including several Holocaust survivors. It was the deadliest attack on any Jewish community in the United States.

In 2019, a scandal arose over a criminal conspiracy to influence undergraduate admissions decisions at several top American universities. The investigation into the conspiracy was code named Operation Varsity Blues. The investigation and related charges were made public on March 12, 2019, by United States federal prosecutors. At least 53 people have been charged as part of the conspiracy, a number of whom pleaded guilty or agreed to plead guilty. Thirty-three parents of college applicants were accused of paying more than $25 million between 2011 and 2018 to William Rick Singer, organizer of the scheme, who used part of the money to fraudulently inflate entrance exam test scores and bribe college officials. Of the 32 parents named in a Federal Bureau of Investigation affidavit filed in U.S. District Court in Boston, more than half had apparently paid bribes to have their children enrolled at the University of Southern California (USC).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Poway synagogue shooting</span> Mass shooting in Poway, California

The Poway synagogue shooting occurred on April 27, 2019, at Chabad of Poway synagogue in Poway, California, United States, a city approximately 20 miles (32 km) north of San Diego, on the last day of the Jewish Passover holiday, which fell on a Shabbat. Armed with an AR-15 style rifle, the gunman, John Earnest, fatally shot one woman and injured three other persons, including the synagogue's rabbi. After fleeing the scene, Earnest phoned 9-1-1 and reported the shooting. He was apprehended in his car approximately two miles (3.2 km) from the synagogue by a San Diego police officer. A month before the shooting, Earnest had attempted to burn down a mosque in Escondido.

GirlsDoPorn was an American pornographic website active from 2009 until 2020. In October and November 2019, six people involved were charged on counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud, and coercion. In December 2019, two more individuals were charged with obstruction of sex trafficking enforcement. The website was removed in January 2020 after 22 victims won the civil case against the company. According to the United States Department of Justice, the website and its sister website GirlsDoToys generated over $17 million in revenue. Videos were featured on GirlsDoPorn.com as well as pornography aggregate websites such as Pornhub, where the channel reached the top 20 most viewed, with approximately 680 million views.

In 2018 and 2019, reports of antisemitism in the United States was reported to have increased compared to previous years according to statistics collected by both the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Anti-Defamation League. These statistics include both violent antisemitic attacks on Jews and cases of harassment.

2019 in religion.

References

  1. ↑ Mele, Christopher; Murphy, Heather (April 27, 2019). "One Dead in Synagogue Shooting Near San Diego, Officials Say". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved April 27, 2019.
  2. ↑ Law, Tara (April 27, 2019). "1 Dead, 3 Injured in Shooting at California Synagogue". Time. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
  3. 1 2 Good, Andrew (February 3, 2006). "Sheriff's chaplain". Shturem.org. Retrieved April 28, 2019.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 "Poway Chabad Celebrates 25". COLLive. June 21, 2011. Retrieved April 28, 2019.
  5. ↑ Davis, Kristina; Jones, J. Harry; Parvini, Sarah (April 27, 2019). "Rabbi gives sermon of strength after being shot at Poway synagogue". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved April 28, 2019.
  6. 1 2 Watson, Julie; Thompson, Doug (May 2, 2019). "AP Exclusive: Poway Synagogue Just Got Money to Improve Security". NBC San Diego. Retrieved May 9, 2019.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Garske, Monica (July 14, 2020). "Rabbi Shot in Poway Synagogue Attack Pleads Guilty to Elaborate Tax Fraud Scheme: US Atty". KNSD aka NBC 7 San Diego. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  8. ↑ Stone, Ken (July 14, 2020). "Chabad of Poway's Wounded Rabbi Pleads Guilty to Years of Tax, Wire Fraud". Times of San Diego. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  9. ↑ Former Chabad of Poway rabbi gets prison in fraud schemes. Kristina Davis, Jan. 4, 2022, The San Diego Union-Tribune
  10. ↑ Chabad-Lubavitch World Headquarters (July 14, 2020). "Statement". Chabad.org. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
  11. ↑ Sridhar, Priya (November 14, 2019). "Chabad Of Poway Rabbi Steps Down". KPBS (TV) . Retrieved December 8, 2019.
  12. ↑ Jones, Tom (April 27, 2019). "Who Is John T. Earnest? Suspect in Poway Synagogue Shooting". KNSD.
  13. 1 2 Lartey, Jamiles (April 27, 2019). "San Diego synagogue shooting: one dead and three injured". The Guardian . Retrieved April 27, 2019.
  14. ↑ "Woman killed, 3 injured in shooting at California synagogue". CBS News . April 27, 2019. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
  15. ↑ "Gunman Opens Fire Near San Diego Synagogue; One Killed, Three Wounded". Haaretz . Associated Press. April 28, 2019. Retrieved April 28, 2019.
  16. ↑ Karimi, Faith; Silverman, Hollie (April 28, 2019). "She was at the synagogue to mourn her mother. She was killed while protecting the rabbi". CNN . Retrieved April 28, 2019.
  17. ↑ Julia Wick, Sarah Parvini & Doug Smith, Rabbi says synagogue gunman’s weapon jammed, preventing 'a blood bath', Los Angeles Times (April 28, 2019).
  18. 1 2 Johnson, Andrew; Stickney, R. (April 27, 2019). "1 Dead, 3 Injured in Synagogue Shooting in Poway, Deputies Detain Suspect". KNSD.
  19. ↑ Miller, Ryan W.; Plevin, Rebecca (April 29, 2019). "Meet the Army Veteran and Off-Duty Border Patrol Agent who Chased the San Diego Synagogue Shooter". USA Today. Retrieved April 30, 2019.
  20. ↑ Van Sant, Shannon (April 27, 2019). "At Least 1 Killed In California Synagogue Shooting". NPR . Retrieved April 27, 2019.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.