New Jersey's Interfaith Leaders, Elected Officials, and Community Advocates Join Together with Temple Ner Tamid Congregation For a Rally Against Hate

BLOOMFIELD, NJ-- Temple Ner Tamid announced that on Thursday, February 2, its Congregation would join together with elected, civic and interfaith leaders from across New Jersey, along with local community advocates for an evening of prayer, healing, unity. As revealed from surveillance video and reported locally and nationwide, early Sunday morning, before dawn, a masked man approached Temple Ner Tamid, lit a Molotov cocktail, threw it again the front door of the Temple, and fled the scene. The attempted arson attack in Bloomfield comes on the heels of a series of recent bias-motivated violence, including another potential incident last weekend at Trinity Episcopal Church in Asbury Park.

Those currently scheduled to join Temple Ner Tamid Rabbi Marc Katz and Rabbi Emeritus Steve Kushner include:

Senator Bob Menendez; Rep. Bill Pascrell; Rep. Mikie Sherril; Bloomfield Township Mayor Mike Venezia; Joseph N. DiVincenzo Jr., Essex County Executive; Essex County Commissioner President Brendan Gill; Imam Kevin Dawud Amin, Masjid Al Wadud of Montclair; Imam Gazi Aga, Director, North East Islamic Community Center; Rev. Jeff Mansfield, Glen Ridge Congregational Church; Rabbi Julie Roth, Shomrei Emunah; Rabbi Laurence Groffman, Temple Sholom of West Essex; Rev. Diana Wilcox, Christ Episcopal Church; Rev. Peter Wilkinson, First Presbyterian Church of Rutherford; Rev. Thomas Korkuch, Park United Methodist Church; Rabbi Elliot Tepperman, Bnai Keshet; and Anya Sandler-Michaels, Co-Minister of The Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Montclair; Roger Terry, President, NAACP - Montclair; Mary Valentine, Bloomfield Pride LGBTQ; Amy Torres, New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice; Ruth Roe - Board Member, AAPI Montclair.

"In the hours since the incident, we have prayed, reflected, and have helped each other heal from this traumatic event, and we are grateful for the amazing support received since the incident and the great concern that has been shared," stated Temple Ner Tamid Rabbi Marc Katz. "We must not forget that many communities across the country have suffered from violent and hateful attacks over the past months. We hope that Thursday evening's community event will be an opportunity to join together in solidarity across faiths and regions of the state, to unite, strengthen the voices of the great majority, and show that there is no place for violence or hate."

WHAT:      Temple Ner Tamid - Interfaith Rally Against Hate

WHEN:     Thursday, February 2 @ 6:30 pm

WHERE:   936 Broad Street, Bloomfield, New Jersey

ABOUT TEMPLE NER TAMID
Located in Bloomfield, New Jersey, Temple Ner Tamid is a welcoming, diverse, and musical Reform.  Congregation, where members connect with their heritage while thinking progressively about the present. Led by Rabbi Marc Katz and Cantor Meredith Greenberg, the temple's mission is to inspire its members to make its community more curious, connected, and just.  All of our work is done in concert to create and sustain a vibrant community.  Its diverse congregation embraces the values of lifelong learning; inclusive, participatory and inspiring services; and repairing the world.