In a heartbreaking account, an eight-year-old girl, Maya Cohen, who was injured during a synagogue shooting in Poway, California, reflects on the terror she experienced. Maya was attending Passover services with her uncle, David Peretz, when a gunman opened fire, targeting worshippers. Although she survived, the little girl now grapples with a profound sense of insecurity.
“I have no words to describe it. It was terrifying and so scary,” Maya told reporters. “We go to pray, and we should feel safe there.” At the time of the attack, she was playing with friends when chaos erupted. “My uncle was holding my hand. The shooter was aiming at him,” she explained. The bullet struck her uncle, sending shrapnel that injured Maya in the leg and face. “It felt like I had the biggest bruise ever,” she recounted, emphasizing that the gunman was specifically targeting her and the other children.
Maya’s family is no stranger to violence. They previously fled from Sderot, Israel, where their home had been hit by rockets. After relocating to California, they faced further hostility when their house was vandalized in 2015. “We had to sleep in a locked room with knives and a baseball bat to protect ourselves,” said Maya’s father, Jacob Cohen. Following another move to Poway, they found themselves targeted once again, this time for their faith.
Thanks to her uncle’s quick thinking, Maya and several others managed to escape. “He was shooting right at me from across the room. I saw him looking at me,” David said. After being injured, he led the children to safety at a neighboring rabbi’s home. “They left because of the rockets, and suddenly they faced terror here in San Diego, which is unbelievable,” Jacob lamented.
Despite the relief of surviving, the Cohen family mourns the loss of their friend, Sarah Kline, who was killed in the attack while honoring her late mother. Others also displayed immense bravery, such as veteran Alex Ramirez, who rushed towards the gunfire, confronting the shooter and forcing him to flee. “I yelled at him, and he dropped his weapon and ran out,” Alex recounted.
For Maya, the shadows of this hate-fueled assault will linger long after the physical wounds heal. “I feel scared and unsafe, like someone is always watching us,” she shared, a heavy burden for a child her age to bear.
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In summary, Maya Cohen’s experience during a tragic synagogue shooting serves as a poignant reminder of the violence that can intrude on the sanctity of faith and community. As she begins to heal, the emotional scars may take longer to mend, highlighting the urgent need for safety and understanding in our world.
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