Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
Available On Air Stations
Watch Live

Public Safety

'Everyone Was Her Sister': Woman Killed At Synagogue Honored

Two people hug as another talks to a San Diego County Sheriff's deputy outside of the Chabad of Poway synagogue, Saturday, April 27, 2019, in Poway, Calif. A man opened fire inside the synagogue near San Diego as worshippers celebrated the last day of a major Jewish holiday.
Denis Poroy / AP
Two people hug as another talks to a San Diego County Sheriff's deputy outside of the Chabad of Poway synagogue, Saturday, April 27, 2019, in Poway, Calif. A man opened fire inside the synagogue near San Diego as worshippers celebrated the last day of a major Jewish holiday.
Family and friends remembered a woman killed in a shooting at a Southern California synagogue as a generous person dedicated to spreading kindness, with her daughter telling the crowd Monday that she knows her mother would forgive the man who took her life as she worshipped.

Family and friends remembered a woman killed in a shooting at a Southern California synagogue as a generous person dedicated to spreading kindness, with her daughter telling the crowd Monday that she knows her mother would forgive the man who took her life as she worshipped.

A memorial service for Lori Kaye, 60, drew a packed congregation, including the three people wounded in the attack, federal and state lawmakers, a representative of the Israeli government, and city and police leaders.

Kaye's daughter Hannah said she knows in her heart that her mother has forgiven the 19-year-old man who killed her Saturday at the Chabad of Poway near San Diego on the last day of a major Jewish holiday.

Advertisement
VIDEO: Family, Friends Mourn Woman Killed In Poway Synagogue Shooting

RELATED: Parents Say Synagogue Suspect Is Part Of 'History Of Evil'

"Her light has reached all crevices of this planet," Hannah Kaye said.

The daughter said she would miss singing in the car with her mother and dancing in the kitchen. Her mom always bought a second cup of coffee and bagel because she knew someone would want them, Hannah Kaye said.

"Everyone was her sister, her trusted confidante. Everyone was her friend," Hannah Kaye said.

The synagogue's rabbi, Yishoel Goldstein, lost one of his fingers in the shooting and comforted worshippers with his hand wrapped in blue bandages. Noya Dahan, 8, and her uncle Almog Peretz both suffered leg wounds in the attack but were released from the hospital and honored Kaye on Monday.

Advertisement

RELATED: Rabbi Says Poway Shooting Victim's Funeral Will Be Most Difficult Of His Career

The U.S. State Department's new envoy on anti-Semitism told the packed synagogue that the Trump administration is committed to fighting the evil wherever it lurks.

"I'm here to say we are at war with these people," Elan Carr said, vowing to fight anti-Semitism in "every city in the United States."

KPBS has created a public safety coverage policy to guide decisions on what stories we prioritize, as well as whose narratives we need to include to tell complete stories that best serve our audiences. This policy was shaped through months of training with the Poynter Institute and feedback from the community. You can read the full policy here.