Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley on Friday denounced antisemitism and expressed his support for a Brighton rabbi who was repeatedly stabbed in the arm one day earlier.
“We are grateful that Rabbi Shlomo Noginski is recovering from the injuries he suffered as a result of a violent attack yesterday. Violence and hate have no place in our society,” the cardinal wrote in a series of posts on his Twitter account.
Noginski was stabbed eight or nine times around 1:19 p.m. outside the Shaloh House, a Jewish day school on Chestnut Hill Avenue, authorities said. He was reported to be in stable condition at Boston Medical Center on Friday.
Advertisement
“Antisemitism is a real and growing problem in this country. We must reject this threat to our Jewish brothers and sisters in all its forms and stand in solidarity with them as people of good will,” O’Malley wrote. “At this time we give thanks to God for Rabbi Noginski’s life, we pray for his full recovery, and we pray that peace and love will overcome hate.”
O’Malley linked to the accounts of the Boston Archdiocese and the Anti-Defamation League of New England in his posts.
Jeremy Burton, executive director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Boston, expressed his gratitude to O’Malley in a tweet.
“Thank you Cardinal, for these words, for your message, and your solidarity,” Burton wrote.
Khaled A. Awad was arrested by Boston police Thursday afternoon and arraigned in Brighton Municipal Court Friday on seven charges in connection with the attack on Noginski, including assault and battery with a dangerous weapon causing serious bodily injury and assault and battery.
Awad was ordered held without bail pending a dangerousness hearing on July 8. A motive for the attack has not been identified by authorities.
Earlier Friday, O’Malley visited the site of a building collapse near Miami where 22 bodies have been recovered from the rubble and more than 125 people remain missing.
Advertisement
The cardinal flew to Miami Thursday to spend the Fourth of July weekend with friends and relatives and was invited to visit the scene of the collapse in Surfside, Fla., by Archbishop Thomas Wenski of the Miami Archdiocese, O’Malley wrote on his blog.
“We prayed for those affected by the tragedy and met some of the relatives of those who are still missing,” the cardinal wrote. “It was a very moving experience, but it was encouraging to see how the community has come together to help in the search for the missing and to try to bring comfort and solace to those who have lost family and friends.”
O’Malley also met some of the rescue workers at the scene, including a Newton firefighter, he wrote.
“This has certainly been a very difficult and emotional moment for the whole community,” O’Malley wrote. “But even in these times of great challenge, we see how so much good comes out of people — in their generosity, courage and desire to help those in need.”
We are grateful that Rabbi Shlomo Noginski is recovering from the injuries he suffered as a result of a violent attack yesterday. Violence and hate have no place in our society. @ADL_NewEngland @bostoncatholic
— Cardinal Seán (@CardinalSean) July 2, 2021
Jeremy C. Fox can be reached at jeremy.fox@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @jeremycfox.