Jews Help Rebuild Florida Mosque Burned In Hate Crime Attack

Image by New Tampa Islamic Society

By Daniel J. Solomon August 30, 2017

Jews helped power an online fundraiser to rebuild a Florida mosque burned in a hateful arson attack last Friday, said the organizer of the donation drive.

“I couldn’t understand why people were donating in what seemed like weird amounts to the cause,” Adeel Karim, member of the Islamic Society of New Tampa, wrote on Facebook.

“There are sums of 18, 36, 72 dollars etc. Then I figured out after clicking on the names Avi, Cohen, Goldstein, Rubin, Fisher,” he added, saying that he learned Jews donate in increments of 18 because the Hebrew word “chai,” meaning “life,” adds up to 18 in Hebrew numerology.

The mosque has raised more than $60,000 to repair its damaged building since it was vandalized, and in the meantime is using a nearby church as a prayer space.

Contact Daniel J. Solomon at solomon@forward.com or on Twitter @DanielJSolomon

Daniel J. Solomon is the former Assistant to the Editor/News Writer at the Forward. Originally from Queens, he attended Harvard as an undergraduate, where he wrote his senior thesis on French-Jewish intellectual history. He is excited to have returned to New York after his time in Massachusetts. Daniel’s passions include folk music, cycling, and pointed argument.

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