At 7 p.m. on Sunday evening, an Orthodox Jewish man was shot outside of the Young Israel of Greater Miami synagogue in North Miami Beach, FL.
The victim was identified by police as 69-year-old Warren Lipschutz. According to multiple reports, he was standing outside the synagogue, waiting for the evening prayers to begin.
Police told local Florida news outlets that a man got out of a black Chevrolet Impala and opened fire at Lipschutz. Four of the eight shots stuck Lipschutz in the leg.
“It circled once again, and by that time the victim was approaching the door,” MDPD Detective Alvaro Zabaleta said to WSVN Channel 7. “That’s when the driver of the Impala exits the vehicle and opens fire towards the victim, striking him multiple times in the lower extremities.”
A member of the Hatzolah of Miami Dade was present at the synagogue and treated the victim until he was taken to a local hospital. He has since undergone surgery and is in stable condition.
Police are investigating the incident as a hate crime, but have not yet categorized it as such.
”I call upon the U.S. authorities to put an end to the wave of anti-Semitic terrorist attacks that are being perpetrated against Jews in the United States. It’s time for Jews to be able to live their lives like any other citizen,” Yaakov Hagoel, vice chairman of the World Zionist Organization, said in a statement.
For those wishing to pray for Lipschutz’s speedy recovery, his Hebrew name is Yosef Noach ben Leah Tzivyah.
