Oscar Stewart, Jewish veteran, saved lives at the Poway synagogue

In the aftermath of the attack on Chabad of Poway, a California synagogue, during Passover, some observers were surprised to hear that there was only one fatality. As tragic as that is, similar attacks, such as that perpetrated by the New Zealand mosque shooter or the Florida nightclub shooter, were far deadlier. The contrast is stark enough to make one wonder if a member of the synagogue didn’t resolve to do something heroic. Turns out there was one real-life hero there that day who did just that: combat veteran, and Orthodox Jew, Oscar Stewart.

While worshipers read the Torah, a gunman burst into Chabad of Poway. Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein said, “Here is a young man standing with a rifle, pointing right at me, and I look at him. He had sunglasses on. I couldn’t see his eyes. I couldn’t see his soul.” The alleged gunman, John T. Earnest, left a manifesto before launching his attack, which was apparently inspired by recent Islamophobic and anti-Semitic murderers.