Candlelight vigil marks 3rd anniversary of deadly attack at Jewish grocery in Jersey City

It has been three years since a deadly domestic terror attack at a kosher grocery store in Jersey City. Members of the community gathered on Thursday for a candlelight vigil.

News 12 Staff

Dec 9, 2022, 2:16 AM

Updated 734 days ago

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It has been three years since a deadly domestic terror attack at a kosher grocery store in Jersey City. Members of the community gathered on Thursday for a candlelight vigil.
Five candles were lit to honor the victims and to shine a light on antisemitism. Members of the Andi-Defamation League, Jewish Federation of Northern New Jersey and others gathered on the steps of City Hall for the event.
The shooting took place on Dec. 10, 2019, at the JC Kosher Supermarket in the Greenville section of Jersey City. Three people inside the store were killed. They were identified as store owner Mindy Ferencz, employee Douglas Miguel Rodriquez and customer Moshe Deutsch.
Jersey City Police Detective Joseph Seals was killed in a shootout with the gunmen just before the shooting at the grocery store took place. Jersey City resident Michael Rumberg was killed three days before the attack. Authorities say the gunmen killed him and stole his U-Haul van that they used in the attack.
The gunmen were killed in a shootout with police during the attack. Authorities say that they were motivated by antisemitism and anti-law enforcement beliefs.
“It was a tragic moment in Jersey City’s history. It is something that we will remember every single day. I always see our officers walking by, because they’re the ones that keep us safe,” says Jersey City resident Maicoll Gomez. “It’s not a pretty moment that we’re proud of, but we are Jersey City. We come stronger together and that’s what we do.”
“Just complete ignorance and scapegoat. And I think the more people talk about it, the better chance to fight it,” says Michael Herskowitz, of Brooklyn.
The ADL’s latest audit of antisemitic incidents was from last year. The organization said they responded to over 2,700 incidents - 370 of those incidents happened in New Jersey.