David Rosenberg, the head of the New Jersey Jewish Business Alliance, said his members are working to gather contributions and donations to help those in Israel who were impacted by a weekend attack from Hamas that has left nearly 1,000 dead.
They do so with the knowledge that some type of attack in New Jersey, which always has been a concern, certainly is possible.
“Can it happen here? Of course, it could happen here,” he said. “Just a year ago, so we saw a Molotov cocktail being thrown at a synagogue here in Jersey.
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“Those type of acts can happen anywhere and everywhere, especially when those haters see some sort of an infiltration, and they feel that this is their time to shine, that they could do the same.
“It’s definitely terrifying and scary.”
Rosenberg said his group is grateful to Gov. Phil Murphy, Attorney General Matt Platkin, members of Homeland Security and New Jersey police officers for their increased efforts since the attack started Saturday.
“We are so appreciative that they are doing that,” he said.
The next steps already are laid out.
Rosenberg said members of the NJJBA already have talked about being more observant of the conditions around them.
“If you see something, say something,” he said.
They also have begun gathering donations for those impacted in New Jersey, Rosenberg said.
“Remember, there are nearly 1,000 people killed, but thousands more who are injured,” he said. “This war is going to go on for a long time. It’s going to have a tremendous impact on the Israeli economy. The people of Israel are going to need help.”
Read more from ROI-NJ:
- N.J. reacts to antisemitic act of war in Israel
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Getting an understanding of how this happened — or why this happened — isn’t as easy.
“This is one of the most advanced militaries in the world,” he said. “How does that happen? How do they get in and go door to door, just horrendously killing innocent children, mothers, fathers. It’s mind-boggling.
“The only thing we can do is put our trust in God,” he said. “When you see the events that happened in Israel, there can be no understanding of what happened. There has to be a power above that we don’t understand, and we can’t understand, because, on pen and paper, this makes no sense.”
Rosenberg said the NJJBA is encouraging its members — and all members of the Jewish community — to remain strong.
“We have to be resilient,” he said. “We have a growing Jewish community in New Jersey, and we need to make sure that we are safe here.”
