Armed Parishioners Killed the Gunman in a Texas Church Shooting. Here’s What to Know

https://time.com/5756485/white-settlement-church-texas-shooting/

The armed parishioners were members of the church’s volunteer security team, which is comprised of church members who are licensed to carry firearms, according to the Associated Press.

Local media reports that a livestream of the church service—which appears to have been removed online—shows at least one churchgoer firing back at the shooter while dozens seek shelter under pews.

On Sunday afternoon, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott shared condolences to the families of the victims.

“Places of worship are meant to be sacred, and I am grateful for the church members who acted quickly to take down the shooter and help prevent further loss of life,” Abbott said in a public statement. “Cecilia and I ask all Texans to join us in praying for the White Settlement community and for all those affected by this horrible tragedy.”

Man Arrested After Five People Stabbed at Hanukkah Celebration in New York. Here's What to Know

https://time.com/5756441/hanukkah-stabbing-new-york/

Police captured the suspect, who they have identified as 37-year-old Grafton E. Thomas, in New York City hours after the attack. He has been charged with five counts of attempted murder and one count of burglary, according to the Town of Ramapo Police Department, which is investigating the case.

The incident unfolded next to the rabbi’s synagogue in Monsey, a small town in Rockland County about 20 miles outside of New York City. Rockland County has the largest Jewish population per capita of any county in the United States, according to New York State. About 31.4% of the county’s residents are Jewish.

The attack comes amid growing concern about anti-Semitic hate crimes in New York and the surrounding region. In the most violent incident, four people were shot and killed in nearby Jersey City in an anti-Semitic attack that targeted a kosher deli on Dec. 10.

 

fake news Ivanka Trump: National media ignoring anti-Semitic violence

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/273799

Anti-Semitic violence in the New York area has been largely ignored by the national media, President Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka claimed Sunday, hours after an attack on a Monsey synagogue left five Hasidic Jews wounded.

In a tweet Sunday, Ivanka Trump condemned the attack on a Monsey synagogue during the Hanukkah festival as “pure evil”.

“The vicious attack of a rabbi in Monsey, NY last night was an act of pure evil. As we pray for the victims, may the candles of Chanukah burn bright through this darkness.”

Trump added that the attack capped off a string of violent assaults on Jews in the greater New York City area, and accused the national media outlets – as well as local government officials – of largely ignoring the trend.

“Attacks on Jewish New Yorkers were reported almost every single day this past week. The increasing frequency of anti-Semitic violence in New York (and around the country) receives far too little local governmental action and national press attention.”

 

See the moment when two NYPD officers arrested a Hanukkah stabbing suspect in New York City

https://edition.cnn.com/2019/12/29/us/nypd-officers-hanukkah-stabbing-suspect-arrest/index.html

 As their night tour began, the two young New York City police officers pulled their SUV in front of the car driven by a man suspected of stabbing several people at a Hanukkah celebration. They blocked his path at an intersection in Harlem.

Russell Mattera and David Radziwon drew their guns and calmly walked to the car. With his hands raised, Grafton Thomas stepped out and the officers handcuffed him after midnight Sunday. Thomas had blood on his clothes and smelled of bleach, a prosecutor said.

 

Hanukkah Stabbing at Rabbi's House in New York Leaves 5 Injured, Hate Crime Police Task Force Investigates

https://www.newsweek.com/hannukah-stabbing-rabbis-house-new-york-5-injured-hate-crime-investigation-1479517

According to the Orthodox Jewish Public Affairs Council (OJPAC), reports of a mass stabbing were made at around 9.50 p.m. on December 28, 2019 at a house in Monsey, Rockland County—approximately 30 miles north of New York City.

Local and state police attended the scene where five members of the Hasidic community were stabbed during Hanukkah festivities. All five stab victims have been taken to a local hospital. Two have been declared critical.

The suspected perpetrator, who was later identified by authorities as Grafton Thomas, 37, of Greenwood Lake, reportedly made an escape in a Nissan Sentra after the attack. He was later apprehended in Manhattan. In a Facebook post, the Ramapo Police Department said Thomas was arraigned in court late Sunday morning on five counts of attempted murder and one count of burglary. According to The Associated Press, Thomas pleaded not guilty, and bail was set at $5 million.

Intruder in Monsey Screamed ‘I’ll Get You’ in Machete Attack on Jews

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/29/nyregion/monsey-new-york-stabbing.html

 A suspect, Grafton Thomas, 38, was later arrested in Harlem after police traced his license plate using a photo Mr. Gluck had taken of the intruder’s car as he fled the scene.

New York machete stabbings at Hanukkah event in rabbi's home result in 5 wounded: reports

https://www.foxnews.com/us/new-york-synagogue-stabbing-attack-results-in-several-injuries-reports

A frightening attack at a Hanukkah celebration in the home of a rabbi in a suburb north of New York City on Saturday night placed the entire New York region on edge and had public officials vowing to stop the violence.

The assault in Monsey, N.Y. -- by a machete-wielding suspect who drove away but whom authorities believe was the man they apprehended later -- continued a string of incidents in recent weeks that have included beatings of Jewish people on the streets of New York City and a massacre at a kosher grocery store in nearby Jersey City, N.J.

Trump falsely blames Trudeau for editing ‘Home Alone 2’ scene

Jerusalem rabbi sentenced to 4 years for sexual abuse of children

https://www.ynetnews.com/article/ryoONLJJ8

A Jerusalem rabbi was sentenced to four years in prison for sexually abusing at least four children at his synagogue.

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The Jerusalem District Court on Tuesday sentenced Shalom Hazan, a community rabbi in the capital, for committing indecent acts with children under 16.

Hazan was convicted for abusing two boys and two girls, aged 6-12, whom he met at his synagogue where they assisted him with chores and studied Torah. He was ordered to compensate the victims with a sum of NIS 40,000.

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