Jewish Agency chief says shooting outside of Miami Beach area synagogue has the hallmarks of anti-Semitic attack.

By Ilana Siyance

On Sunday evening, July 28th, outside of the Young Israel of Greater Miami Synagogue, a man sat serenely under the awning at 6:30 pm, waiting for Mincha or the afternoon Jewish prayer. The placid scene ended abruptly. It was replaced with 6 gun shots from a car, directed at the man who was an orthodox Jew. As reported by VIN News, Police Chaplain Mark Rosenberg said that a black or dark colored, year 2000, Chevy Impala pulled up to the front of the synagogue. As per witness reports, the driver of the car opened his door and fired six shots, four of them directly hit the victim, Warren Lipschutz, in the leg.

The victim was identified by The Yeshiva World, as Yosef Noach ben Leah Tzivyah. Miami-Dade police Detective Alvaro Zabaleta said the victim was in stable condition. Zabaleta said the victim is 69 years old. He was taken to Aventura Hospital and Medical Center where he was operated on for his injuries.

The assailant is still on the loose, as of Monday evening. A description of the suspect has not yet been released and it is still not clear if there were other passengers in his car. The shul, located at 990 NE 171st Street, in unincorporated Miami-Dade County, is equipped with several security cameras and the footage will be utilized to gather more clues. The investigation is ongoing. The assailant did not seem to say anything, and nothing was stolen from the victim.

Detectives are investigating the shooting as a possible hate crime. “First of all, I wish complete recovery for the wounded,” said Yaakov Hagoel, vice chairman of the Jewish Agency. “I call upon the US 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.” As per the Jerusalem Post, Jewish Agency Chairman Isaac Herzog said he personally spoke to the local community leaders and he has reason to believe that indeed it was a case of antisemitism, and the man was attacked just for being Jewish.

It is now close to five years from the day that Rabbi Joseph Raksin, 60, was killed as he walked to North Miami Beach’s Bais Menachem Chabad synagogue. The Brooklyn Rabbi was shot walking to shul Saturday morning in 2014, two blocks north of the Young Israel where this new shooting has taken place. The culprits in that case were never apprehended.