“Do you believe in G-d?” my son asks while I hastily drive him to meet the rabbi for Hebrew school, after yelling “sweet Jesus” to the sweet-looking senior in the left lane driving so slowly it’s as if he’s on a Sunday jaunt through the English countryside, and long before thinking through what I should […]
Judaism
Posted inCrime and Courts, News
Man gets nearly 20 years in prison for plotting to bomb Pueblo synagogue
A man was sentenced to nearly 20 years in prison on Friday for plotting to bomb a historic Colorado synagogue last year by a judge who described the case as “dripping with Nazism and supremacy.” Judge Raymond P. Moore set the 235-month sentence for Richard Holzer, 28, and imposed a 15-year term of supervised release. […]
Posted inCrime and Courts, News
Man described as neo-Nazi pleads guilty in Pueblo synagogue bomb plot
By Colleen Slevin, The Associated Press A man described by U.S. prosecutors as a neo-Nazi and white supremacist pleaded guilty on Thursday to a hate crime for plotting to bomb a historic Colorado synagogue last year. Richard Holzer, 28, pleaded guilty to attempting to stop people from exercising their religion with an explosive or fire […]
Posted inColoradans, News
Trinidad’s Temple Aaron seemed destined to die. But the 131-year-old Jewish synagogue’s fate was never sealed.
The Jewish people believe it is decided who will be inscribed in the “book of life” on Rosh Hashanah, the holiday that begins Friday night. The metaphorical document — called sefer hachaim in Hebrew — holds the names of who will survive. “Who shall live and who shall die?” a Jewish poem this time of […]
Posted inColoradans, News
Colorado congregations — one Jewish, one Black — swap pulpits, music in a push for racial justice
On Friday evening, Rabbi Jamie Arnold prepared to celebrate the Sabbath in the socially distanced and virtual way that the coronavirus pandemic has made the norm for Congregation Beth Evergreen. For the first time in months, a handful of members sat safely scattered in the synagogue’s sanctuary while a video camera streamed images of the […]
Posted inCrime and Courts, News, Politics and Government
Colorado attorney general announces alliance to address hate crimes
By Colleen Slevin, The Associated Press Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser and members of a coalition fighting hate crimes said Monday they have teamed up to try to increase reporting of hate crimes and train law enforcement how to handle and prosecute such cases. Weiser was joined by representatives of the Anti-Defamation League, the Matthew […]
Posted inCrime and Courts, Politics and Government
Security tighter as Colorado’s first Jewish governor takes office amid rising threats, hate crimes
A rise in activity from anti-Semitic organizations in Colorado is prompting authorities to take additional security precautions to protect Gov.-elect Jared Polis. The safety measures were evident at the Democratic election night party, where guests navigated a series of walk-through metal detectors to enter the ballroom where Polis declared victory as the state’s first Jewish […]
Posted inColoradans, Crime and Courts, News
“A basic trust in America has been violated”: Denver turns out in force to share in the pain of Pittsburgh and the Jewish community
Denver came out in force Sunday night, joining cities across the nation in sharing in the pain and sadness of Pittsburgh’s Jewish community. Thousands of people packed into Temple Emanuel for a tearful, uniting vigil. “This is not OK,” Gov. John Hickenlooper proclaimed to a standing-room-only crowd that overflowed into rooms beyond the Denver Jewish congregation’s […]