Skip to content
CapRadio

CapRadio

signal status listen live donate
listen live donate signal status
listen live donate signal status
  • News
    • beats
    • State Government
    • Environment
    • Health Care
    • Business
    • Arts and Lifestyle
    • Food and Sustainability
    • PolitiFact California
    • California Dream
    • Videos
    • Photos
  • Music
    • genres
    • Classical
    • Jazz
    • Roots
    • Eclectic
    • Videos
    • Daily Playlist
  • Programs + Podcasts
    • news
    • Morning Edition
    • All Things Considered
    • Marketplace
    • Insight
    • The View From Here
    • music
    • Acid Jazz
    • At the Opera
    • Classical Music
    • Connections
    • Excellence in Jazz
    • Hey, Listen!
    • Insight Music
    • K-ZAP on CapRadio
    • Mick Martin's Blues Party
    • Programs A-Z
    • Podcast Directory
  • Schedules
    • News
    • Music
    • ClassicalStream
    • JazzStream
    • Weekly Schedule
    • Daily Playlist
  • Community
    • Events Calendar
    • CapRadio Garden
    • CapRadio Reads
    • CapRadio Travels
    • Ticket Giveaways
  • Support
    • Evergreen Gift
    • One-Time Gift
    • Corporate Support / Underwriting
    • Vehicle Donation
    • Stock Gift
    • Legacy Gift
    • Endowment Gift
    • Volunteering
    • Benefits
    • Member FAQ
    • e‑Newsletter
    • Drawing Winners
    • Thank You Gifts
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Close Menu

Insight

 

Insight creates conversation to build community, exploring issues and events that connect people in our region. Insight covers breaking news and big ideas, music, arts & culture with responsible journalism, civil discussion and diverse voices.

Schedule

Monday – Thursday, 9 a.m. – 10 a.m.
on News Station

  • contact
  • Subscribe
    • Apple Podcasts
    • Google Podcasts
    • Spotify Podcasts
    • Podcast RSS
    • RSS
 We Get Support From:
Become a Supporter 
 We Get Support From:
Become a Supporter 

Remembering The 1999 Sacramento Synagogue Attacks

Thursday, June 20, 2019 | Sacramento, CA
Listen
/
download audio
Update RequiredTo play audio, update browser or Flash plugin.
AP Photo/Bob Galbraith

Investigators look over damage to the Kenesset Israel Torah Center in Sacramento, Calif., Friday, June 18, 1999, after a suspected arson fire. The temple was one of three targeted in arson fires during the night.

AP Photo/Bob Galbraith

In the summer of 1999, a wave of hate crimes washed across the United States. In Northern California, three synagogues in Sacramento were firebombed and two gay men in Redding were murdered in their home. Those murders linked two white supremacists to the arson. Some media outlets dubbed it "the Summer of Hate."

Before sunrise on June 18, 1999, a pair of white supremacist brothers set ablaze three Sacramento-area synagogues. They were Congregation B’Nai Israel, Congregation Beth Shalom and Kenesset Israel Torah Center. Nobody was hurt in those fires, but they caused nearly $3 million in damages and destroyed a library of Jewish history. The Sacramento community responded with interfaith gatherings and, in an era before online crowdfunding campaigns, fundraising more than $1 million for education and videos promoting diversity.

The hate crimes also planted the seed for the Unity Center, a permanent exhibit at the California Museum that “celebrates the state’s diverse people, customs and cultures” and its history of activism. The Unity Center will host a weekend of “Stand Up for Unity in Your Community” events to commemorate 20 years since the attacks.

Recent polls and studies have found that white supremacy and propaganda espousing hate is on the rise in the U.S. Twenty years after these hate crimes, William Recht, executive director of The Jewish Federation of the Sacramento Region, reflects on how far we’ve come in addressing hate and white supremacy—and how far our country still has to go.

    Related Stories

  • AP Photo/Denis Poroy

    Sacramento’s Jewish Community Responds To San Diego Synagogue Shooting

    Wednesday, May 1, 2019
    Seth Brysk of the Anti-Defamation League and Rabbi Mona Alfi of Congregation B’nai Israel join to discuss the recent rise in anti-Semitic violence.
  • California Synagogue Shooting Investigated As A Hate Crime After 1 Killed, 3 Injured

    Sunday, April 28, 2019
    The mayor of Poway, Calif. said the shooting at the Chabad of Poway synagogue near San Diego was a "hate crime." A 19-year-old man has been arrested.
  • Sammy Caiola / Capital Public Radio

    Sacramento Interfaith Community Gathers After Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooting, Vows To Stand Against Violence

    Tuesday, October 30, 2018
    Sacramento-area religious leaders came together Monday evening to mourn the 11 synagogue attendees who were shot in Pittsburgh last weekend. Many speakers recalled the fire bombings of three Sacramento synagogues in 1999.
  • Robert Durell, California Museum Unity Center / Courtesy

    California Museum Opens Long-Awaited Unity Center

    Wednesday, August 23, 2017
    The California Museum's new Unity Center has been in development since 1999. The new interactive exhibition aims to promote tolerance and peace through civil rights education. The Unity Center will host a free block party on Saturday, Aug. 26.

Coronavirus Newsletter

Get answers to your questions, the latest updates and easy access to the resources you need, delivered to your inbox.

 

Want to know what to expect? Here's a recent newsletter.

Thanks for subscribing!

We'll send you weekly emails so you can stay informed about the coronavirus in California.

Browse all newsletters

More Stories

Bert Johnson / CapRadio

In Nevada’s capital, Trump Supporters Protest Inauguration, Promise To Elect ‘True Conservatives’

January 20, 2021

Map: See If You Could Be Affected By PG&E's Jan. 18 Shutoff

January 17, 2021

Photo by Rich Pedroncelli, AP Photo

Five Things To Know About California’s New U.S. Senator, Alex Padilla

January 18, 2021

Most Viewed

California’s Capitol On Guard: Inauguration Day Demonstrations End Peacefully

California Attorney General Files Nine Lawsuits In One Day As Trump Leaves Office

California Coronavirus Updates: More Than A Dozen COVID-19 Patients Being Treated At Former Kings Arena

Legal Observers Say Sacramento Police Arrests Unfairly Targeted Activists With Antifa On Eve Of Inauguration

California Coronavirus Updates: US COVID-19 Death Toll Surpasses 400,000 As President Trump Leaves Office

We Get Support From:
Become a Supporter

Most Viewed

California’s Capitol On Guard: Inauguration Day Demonstrations End Peacefully

California Attorney General Files Nine Lawsuits In One Day As Trump Leaves Office

California Coronavirus Updates: More Than A Dozen COVID-19 Patients Being Treated At Former Kings Arena

Legal Observers Say Sacramento Police Arrests Unfairly Targeted Activists With Antifa On Eve Of Inauguration

California Coronavirus Updates: US COVID-19 Death Toll Surpasses 400,000 As President Trump Leaves Office

Back to Top

  • CapRadio

    7055 Folsom Boulevard
    Sacramento, CA 95826-2625

    • (916) 278-8900
    • Toll-free (877) 480-5900
    • Email Us
    • Submit a News Tip
  • Contact Us

  • About Us

    • Contact Us / Feedback
    • Coverage
    • Directions
    • Jobs & Internships
    • Mission / Vision / Core Values
    • Press
    • Staff Directory
    • Board of Directors
  • Listening Options

    • Mobile App
    • On Air Schedules
    • Smart Speakers
    • Playlist
    • Podcasts
    • RSS
  • Connect With Us

    •  Facebook
    •  Twitter
    •  Instagram
    •  YouTube
  • Donate

  • Listen

  • Newsletters

CapRadio stations are licensed to California State University, Sacramento. © 2021, Capital Public Radio. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Website Feedback FCC Public Files: KXJZ KKTO KUOP KQNC KXPR KXSR KXJS. For assistance accessing our public files, please call 916-278-8900 or email us.