2 years after the shooting in the Poway synagogue, the community is still healing

POWAY, Calif .– Tuesday marks two years since a 19-year-old man shot dead four people in a Poway synagogue, killing one woman and injuring three others. On the anniversary, members of the community told News 8 about life since that tragic day.

News 8’s LaMonica Peters spoke with a rabbi from Chabad of Poway and one of the first MPs to answer the call.

Members of the Chabad synagogue in Poway were thrown into complete chaos in 2019 when they were attacked by a gunman, as a suspected hate crime. Now they remember that day and try to move on.

Rabbi Mendel Goldstein said April 27 will be forever etched in the minds of the entire Poway community. In 2019, on the last day of Passover at Chabad in Poway, Lori Kaye, 60, was killed and three others were injured.

“The gunman burst into our beautiful synagogue minutes before we were due to read about Mechayeh, bringing with it devastating carnage,” Goldstein said last year.

Now, two years later, Goldstein has said the congregation and community are moving forward, working to create a better future for humanity.

“Every good thing we do will only bring more light and compassion to this world. This is what our community has focused on ever since,” Goldstein said.

Tuesday also, San Diego County Sheriff Deputy Jess Allensworth spoke about the impact of the shooting on everyone. He was the first to arrive at the Chabad, calling it a chaotic scene.

“I take that energy, I channel to help others prepare so that if they are faced with such a critical impact, they have a little more knowledge and a little more preparation on how to handle it,” said Allensworth said.

Earlier this month, the family of 8-year-old Noya Dahan, who was injured in the shooting, filed a lawsuit against the synagogue. The lawsuit alleges that the Chabad failed to provide adequate security against the attacks. The lawsuit also says the synagogue received federal funds to bolster security, but the funds were not used.

Goldstein said it’s been a tough day for all of them and the trauma is something they will have to deal with one day at a time.

WATCH: 2 years after filming Chabad of Poway, sheriffs continue to prepare San Diegans for active shooting situations