Marsha Gewirtzman, a Kiawah Island resident, first heard about the June 1 flame attack that happened in Boulder, Colorado, over an Apple Breaking News alert.
The anti-Semitic attack reportedly involved an Egyptian man who threw Molotov cocktails and used a makeshift flamethrower to set fire to a group of demonstrators, injuring 12. The 45-year-old man has since been arrested and charged with 118 counts including attempt to commit murder, assault in the first and third degrees, use of explosive or incendiary devices and animal cruelty, according to the Associated Press.
The Boulder group’s peaceful demonstration was to spread awareness about freeing Israeli hostages in Gaza immediately became an international incident.
“Anyone who thinks they live in a town or city where this is not a possibility is delusional,” said Gewirtzman, a member of Synagogue Emanu-El in West Ashley.
For Gewirtzman, attacks like these have become a harsh reality for many in the Jewish community. The incident reminds her of the 2018 shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh where 11 people were killed. As president of her congregation at that time, she was tasked with making the community feel safer with improved protections.
“I worked with the [Charleston Jewish] Federation, the Charleston Police Department and the FBI on everything to make our congregation safer, from putting buzzers throughout the building, increasing cameras, to even getting rid of the shrubbery around the building.” Gewirtzman said.
Gewirtzman, 74, said she’s thankful to Charleston police for providing law enforcement services and being proactive with protections throughout the Jewish community. But the fact that the recent attack took place in what she says is a “sleepy college town” shows that no one is immune to these kinds of attacks.
Hate crimes are on the rise
“We’re on an upward trend in terms of incidents reported nationally and locally in terms of hate crimes targeting Jews in the community,” said Brandon Fish, community director for the Charleston Jewish Federation.
Fish said the need for security also increased since the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel.
According to the Anti-Defamation League, more than 10,000 anti-semitic incidents were reported in the year following Oct. 7, described as a 200% increase from the 2022-2023 statistic. In South Carolina, the reported number of hate crimes rose 77% from 66 incidents in 2022 to 115 in 2023, according to the U.S. Justice Department.
“There has been a lot of fear from all the activity post Oct. 7, [including] anti-Israel activities and protests which may have led to acts of violence like these,” Fish said.
When asked what he would say to other Jews who are nervous about attending services, Mark Swick suggested to be resilient in the face of these attacks and to continue being a part of the community.
“One of the most important takeaways from these incidents is not to be discouraged from gathering as a community, practicing your faith, and coming together as a system of mutual support,” said Swick, executive director for the Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim synagogue in downtown Charleston.
Swick said he has been encouraged by the support from people outside the Jewish community, saying it’s been a great show of support, regardless of party identification.
“We’ve been grateful for support when we hear it,” he said. “It’s good to know who our support is, irrespective of political beliefs.”
Joseph Rosen, a rabbi at KKBE, said attacks are unacceptable, regardless of religion.
“It’s just not acceptable whether it’s happening to us, whether it’s happening to the Muslim community, or for any community to be faced with any violence,” Rosen said. “We have to do better on calling that out.”
Ross Appel, a Jewish city councilman in Charleston for District 11, said that the city of Charleston was committed to ensuring safety for religious groups. Appel reiterated that local police have been supporting places of worship in general.
“We’re certainly by no means alone, [Charleston] has got its eyes on everybody and all our community members,” Appel said. “We make sure things are safe at the mosque downtown, everybody has to be safe, period.”
When asked what he will say about the Boulder attack at Friday’s service at the synagogue, Rosen said that while it’s going to be on the back of everyone’s mind, he will treat everything as normal to communicate a message of strength.
“It will not dominate the service. We’re not going to be dictated by fear. We will respond to it. We will reflect on it. But we will not let it control us.”
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