A makeshift memorial was placed by a light pole a block away from a shooting incident where one person was killed at the Congregation Chabad synagogue in Poway, north of San Diego, California, U.S. April 27, 2019. Photo: REUTERS/John Gastaldo.

Israeli leaders reacted on Sunday to the shooting at a Chabad synagogue in Poway, California on Saturday in which one congregant was killed and three wounded.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement, “I condemn the abhorrent attack on a synagogue in California; this is an attack on the heart of the Jewish people.”

Referring to the woman killed during the attack, Netanyahu said, “We send condolences to the family of Lori Gilbert-Kaye and our best wishes for a quick recovery to the wounded.”

“The international community must step up the struggle against antisemitism,” the prime minister asserted.

President Reuven Rivlin also issued a statement, saying, “We were shocked and grieved to hear of the shooting at Chabad of Poway, California yesterday.”

“The murderous attack on the Jewish community during Pesach, our holiday of freedom, and just before Holocaust Memorial day, is yet another painful reminder that anti-Semitism and hatred of Jews is still with us, everywhere,” he added.

“No country and no society are immune,” he said. “Only through education for Holocaust remembrance and tolerance can we deal with this plague.”

“Our hearts are with the Gilbert-Kaye family, who have lost their dear Lori, with the families of the injured and with the whole community,” Rivlin continued. “We are with you in these difficult times. We love and embrace you.”

“The Jewish people will never allow anti-Semitism and hatred to triumph,” he said. “We are strong and we are proud of our heritage and our identity of love for each other and our fellow humans.”

Education Minister Naftali Bennett called the shooting a “great tragedy for all the Jewish people.”

Bennett added of Gilbert-Kaye, “Our thoughts and prayers are with her husband and daughter, may they find great comfort in Lori’s tremendous example and courage.”