Local Jewish community members react to Poway synagogue shooting

One person is dead and at least three others are injured after a shooting at a Chabad synagogue in Poway, California, Saturday.

Members of the Chabad Lubavitch Synagogue in Mandarin tell Action News Jax many in their congregation did not know about the Poway, California shooting until late Saturday night.

“It’s actually our holiday today, and we don’t use the internet,” Zev Kahanov, a Chabad synagogue member.

Today marks the final day of Passover, and we’re told it’s common for members of the Jewish faith to deny themselves access to electronics until after the Sabbath.

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“We found out,” he said. “And it was shocking when we did.”

The shooting comes less than a week before Holocaust re-embrace day, and about two weeks before Israeli Independence Day.

Scot Ackerman, president of Etz Chaim Synagogue in Mandarin, tells us the local Jewish community is working with city leaders, JSO, JFRD and the FBI to continuously improve safety measures.

“When something happens we try to take lessons from that to try to improve our own systems,” said Ackerman.

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