Jason Greenblatt, the US Representative for International Negotiations, on Wednesday visited the Chabad of Poway near San Diego, where a gunman killed a woman and wounded three others last Shabbat.
In a post on Twitter, Greenblatt wrote that the Poway attack is “a somber reminder that we must continue to stamp out anti-Semitism & all other forms of hate. As @POTUS said last Oct., anti-Semitism ‘is an assault on humanity. It must be confronted and condemned everywhere it rears its ugly head.’"
In a second tweet, Greenblatt wrote about Lori Gilbert-Kaye, the 60-year-old woman who was murdered in the attack.
“Attack in Poway robbed a family, community & country of Lori Gilbert Kaye a generous, caring woman. Her husband & sister described to me what an amazing person Lori was. They’ll continue Lori’s great work. The peace pole is from her beautiful garden. May her memory be a blessing,” he wrote.
Of Rabbi Yisrael Goldstein, the synagogue’s rabbi who was among those wounded in the shooting, Greenblatt said, “Rabbi Goldstein is a pillar of strength for his community/our nation. A very moving visit. He & others acted heroically. I shared the Administration's heartfelt sorrow for Poway's loss & thanked him for his message to turn a hateful act into a lesson on tolerance.”
The suspected shooter, 19-year-old John Earnest, was formally charged on Monday with murder and attempted murder. Authorities have also charged him with arson in connection to a fire last month at an Escondido mosque.
On Tuesday, Earnest appeared in court and pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Prior to the attack Earnest had published an anti-Semitic screed online in which he claimed responsibility for an arson attack against a mosque in the area weeks earlier.
Police investigating the shooting attack say Earnest acted alone and was not part of any organized group.