HUDSON COUNTY AND BEYOND — A Jan. 11 attack on Congregation Beth El in Rutherford is the fourth hate crime targeting a local synagogue in the past month and is being treated as an attempted murder case, Rep. Steve Rothman said.
An explosive device was thrown through the bedroom window of Rabbi Nosson Schuman and his wife. The building of Congregation Beth El is a synagogue, school, and home.
“Thank God, the rabbi only suffered burns to one of his hands, but this attack endangered the lives of the rabbi, his wife, his father, and his five children,” Rothman said. “The Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) must investigate this latest attack and the disturbing trend of hate crimes against New Jersey synagogues over the past month. This is not Damascus or Baghdad. Residential communities, like those here in New Jersey, should never be attacked. I demand that the FBI and the US Attorney’s Office pool all of their resources with the outstanding Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office and Rutherford police department to solve this crime.”
Rothman thanked the agencies and responders who dealt with the attack.
“In New Jersey, and throughout our nation, we must continue our fight to root out bigotry and hate crimes,” he said.