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Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein, who leads Congregation Chabad and was injured in Saturday’s attack, spoke to CNN’s Brian Stelter about what it was like to escape death, losing a friend and anti-Semitism.
On surviving the tragedy:
It is so horrific. I met the terrorist face to face, eye to eye. Our eyes locked and he aimed at me and miraculously, I was able to just survive losing my fingers but still alive here to say today.
Sadly, my colleague, my long-time mentor was Lori Kaye, that was standing between the lobby, did not survive. She was shot point-blank.
On Lori Kaye, the woman who was killed:
Lori and I have known each other for over 25 years. She was one of the pioneering members of our congregation. She is not just a member, she’s an activist. She personified ultimate of kindness and generosity.
She’s one of those people who are always there to be able to help others in their time of need. When people are diagnosed with cancer, she would be dragging them to appointments and would bring flowers to cheer people up and bake Shabbat challah just to bring the family some happiness.
She was the ultimate woman of kindness and it’s unfathomable, why this beautiful, beautiful, wonderful human being would be shot down.
On attacks targeting Jewish people:
This has to stop. The constitution of the United States guarantees freedom and religion for all faith. You know, we’re so lucky and fortunate to live in a country that protects our rights to live as proud Jews. We’re still recovering from the Holocaust. We found a haven to live as free people and yet, we’re being mowed down like animals like we’re Nazi Germany. And this has to stop.
But you know what? We’re not going to be intimidated or deterred. Terror will not win and as Americans, we can’t and won’t cower in the face of this senseless hate of what’s called anti-semitism.
On his reflections after the shooting:
After recovering from surgery, so much thoughts have been running through my mind trying to figure out what sense can I make out of this? Why was my life spared?
I was centimeters away from being shot point blank, and I got away from losing my index finger that will be a scar forever. But that scar is going to remind me how vulnerable we are, but yet how heroic each one of us can be to stand up and fight against terror.
On how to combat the darkness:
A little bit of light pushes away a lot of darkness. We need a lot of light now.
This coming Saturday, I personally feel I want to appeal to all the Jewish people to make an effort to attend synagogue. We need to fill up those rooms, not run away from synagogue. On the contrary, let’s fill up the synagogues.
Let us show these terrorists, let us show these evil, wicked people, they will not do anything to hinder us from being proud Jews, and for being proud people walking the freedom of America.
We need to really answer the darkness with as much life as possible.
On his message to his congregation:
I have lived through this horror for a reason. And we have been taught anything that you see and hear in life, you need to take a lesson and do something with it. And I want to take my message to as many people as possible.
Missing a finger is just a finger. But God didn’t want me to die yesterday. God wants me to continue on being his emissary and to be a partner.
And you know what? We are all created in the image of God. We all have a mission in this world. We are all partners of God’s creation. We all need to just take this darkness and do some random acts of kindness.
It’s going to tip the scale in our favor 100%.
On turning pain into something positive:
I got both of my hands wrapped up. I can’t even drink a cup of water. I’m in excruciating pain out of surgery, but the pain doesn’t pale towards what I can do to help another person. What can I do to inspire others who have been in such dark spaces as well? Hopefully, I accomplish that.
Watch part of the interview here:
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