Temple Isaiah holds memorial service to honor D.C. terror victims

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) - Temple Isaiah held a memorial service on Friday to memorialize the two Israeli embassy staff members who were shot and killed outside a Jewish Museum in Washington D.C.

For community members, a heartbreaking reminder of a pattern seen too often.

“It’s sad but unfortunately not unexpected. There’s a lot of hate.”

Jeffery Farber, Palm Springs resident

Hate that has shaken a community already on edge. Local faith leaders say they're hearing more and more from congregants who are scared.

“You have people say ‘I’m afraid,’ ‘I don’t want to come out,’ ‘I don’t want to show a Jewish star,’ ‘I don’t want to wear a yamaka in public,’ ‘I don’t want to show any mark or sign that I’m Jewish.”

Rabbi Kenneth Emert, Temple Isaiah

The attack comes amid an alarming rise in anti-semitic incidents in the U.S., up 900% in the last decade.

An alarming statistic, but Rabbi Steven Rosenberg, a member of the National Advisory Board of Rabbis United, says in response, organizations like StandWithUs are ramping up outreach.

“A lot of it is education, a lot of it is being on the ground… filing civil rights.” 

Rabbi Steven Rosenberg, National Advisory Board of Rabbis United member

Still, the message to the Jewish community was one of resilience.

Local leaders were in attendance, reaffirming their commitment to protecting the Jewish community and standing firm against antisemitic violence.

“If you are afraid to go out then they won.” 

Jeffery Farber, Palm Springs resident

Stay with News Channel 3 for more.