Man fires shotgun outside Jewish temple in upstate New York as Hanukkah begins, no one injured

By MAYSOON KHAN
Associated Press/Report for America

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Officials say a man fired a shotgun twice outside a Jewish temple in upstate New York, then said “Free Palestine” as he was taken into custody. Gov. Kathy Hochul said no one was injured Thursday afternoon, hours before the start of Hanukkah. Police say the shots were fired outside of Temple Israel, and a 28-year-old man is in custody. Hochul said he was a local resident. Police say the shooting is being investigated as a hate crime. The episode took place amid rising fears of antisemitism worldwide and fallout from Israel’s intensifying war in Gaza, which faces heightened criticism because of the mounting Palestinian death toll.