CHABAD OF POWAY RABBI DESCRIBES PHONE CALL WITH PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP AFTER SYNAGOGUE SHOOTING, 'HE WAS SO COMFORTING'
BY DONICA PHIFER, Newsweek, 4/28/19
A day after one person was killed and three others injured at the Chabad of Poway synagogue in Poway, California, the congregation's Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein, told reporters of a phone call he had with President Donald Trump....
Speaking at the press conference, Goldstein said he was "amazed" when he answered the phone to discover the White House on the other end of the line, adding that Trump spent 10 or 15 minutes on the phone with him.
"He shared with me condolences on behalf of the United States of America. We spoke about the moment of silence. And he spoke about his love of peace and Judaism and Israel. He was just so comforting, I'm really grateful to our president for taking the time and share with us his comfort and consolation," Goldstein told reporters.
Speaking to MSNBC, Goldstein shared more of the conversation between himself and the president, including how he questioned Trump about plans to combat a rise in anti-Semitism in the United States. The Chabad synagogue shooting is the second attack on Jewish houses of worship in the past year. The Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennslyvania was attacked in October 2018, with 11 people killed and seven others injured.
"[Trump] was very generous in explaining that he has made it as a priority,"
Goldstein told MSNBC's Kasie Hunt. "He said, 'Listen, I've got a son-in-law who's Jewish, I've got a daughter who's Jewish, I've got grandkids that are Jewish. And I love Israel, and I support Israel and I'm going to do whatever we can to protect the Jewish people of the United States of America and abroad.'__ ...It was the highlight of the day after everything I've been through to hear from the president himself to be so comforting and consoling. It meant a lot to our community and it meant a lot to me."
Related:
Message from the Rabbi of Chabad of Powey
https://youtu.be/YmYHTTlGzWM
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