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“But,” she said, “that’s our new reality — it’s that anybody can be a target.”

The arrest of the man in Colorado marks the 13th time since the 2018 Pittsburgh attack that authorities have apprehended someone for allegedly plotting attacks or making threats against a Jewish community, according to the Anti-Defamation League.

The temple was built in 1900; some families in the congregation trace their roots in the community back generations.

The youngest congregant is a newborn; the oldest is nearly 100. Just 2 wks ago, Rabbi Birdie Becker watched as 5 children were honored as new temple students, and were given Torah scrolls and chocolate candy during a Sabbath service.

It's worth noting that Pueblo, Colo., the site of the alleged synagogue bomb plot, is divided politically and the temple is made up of people from across the political spectrum.

Rabbi Becker told me that the synagogue bomb plot was particularly painful because Temple Emanuel had become a place where people with differing political views could talk “without a problem.”

The Rabbi at Temple Emanuel in Pueblo, Colo., also said that services would continue, despite the apparent bomb threat from a man calling himself a white supremacist. “We’ve been around for 119 years,” she said. “This is a blip. You just move on.”