MANY FAITHS, ONE GOAL HOUSE-OF-WORSHIP ATTACKS UNITE RELIGIOUS LEADERS.Byline: Jason Kandel, Mariel Garza and Ryan Oliver Staff Writers ENCINO - Worshippers of many faiths were joined by city officials Thursday night at a Catholic church in solidarity against an arsonist who has firebombed four religious buildings in Encino and might be linked to a fifth attack. City and religious leaders expressed both outrage and resolve to the crowd at St. Cyril's Catholic Church in Encino. ``We live together in an ark called Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. , and our ark is plagued by the darkness of hatred and intolerance,'' said Rabbi Mark Diamond, executive vice president of the Board of Rabbis of Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, . ``As a resident of this city I am shocked and outraged. ... These are acts of racism. These are acts of hatred.'' City Councilman Jack Weiss Jack Weiss, is a member of the Los Angeles City Council representing the 5th district. Weiss was elected in 2001 and reelected in 2005. The 5th district includes parts of the Westside and the San Fernando Valley. said the community will rise above the challenge, and the arsonist will be captured. ``The message tonight is very clear: Those who seek to spread hatred and intolerance in America, they always fail,'' Weiss said. ``They only manage to bring us closer together.'' The interfaith meeting came as more than 100 investigators fanned out across Encino and surrounding areas in search of the arsonist. As residents and dignitaries discussed the problem, unmarked cars manned by the Los Angeles Police Department "LAPD" and "L.A.P.D." redirect here. For other uses, see LAPD (disambiguation).  This article or section is written like an . , city Fire Department arson unit, the
FBI and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms kept watch
over the church and the neighborhood.
Encino residents said the arson attacks have created a sense of unrest in the community. ``I feel the community has to do something to protect itself. There is fear this will spread, and it's hard for us to know what the motivation is,'' said Eileen Healy of Encino. ``Hopefully police will get the right guy. We don't know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. if the guy is antireligious or just fascinated by fire.'' Joyce Greene, a parishioner of Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church in Encino, said she is on edge. ``It's been very upsetting. It gives us a feeling of not knowing who is going to be next,'' Greene said. LAPD 1. LAPD - Link Access Procedure on the D channel. 2. LAPD - Los Angeles Police Department. Assistant Chief Jim McDonnell assured the congregation that authorities won't give up until the arsonist is caught. ``We take this very seriously. It truly is a hate crime. We're going to work very hard until we catch whoever is responsible for this.'' Earlier in the day, authorities said a cinder cin·der n. 1. a. A burned or partly burned substance, such as coal, that is not reduced to ashes but is incapable of further combustion. b. A partly charred substance that can burn further but without flame. block tossed Tuesday through a window at D'Torah Jewish Educational Center The Jewish Educational Center is a fourteen-year yeshiva school located in Elizabeth, in Union County, New Jersey, United States. Throughout the day students learn a mixture of Judaic and secular studies. in Encino could be the fifth incident linked to an arsonist who has struck two synagogues, a Presbyterian church and a Bahai faith center since April 26. Flammable liquid Generally, a flammable liquid means a liquid which may catch fire easily. In the USA, there is a precise definition of flammable liquid as one with a flashpoint below 100 degrees Fahrenheit. also was found near the educational center, in the 16300 block of Ventura Boulevard Ventura Boulevard is one of the primary east-west thouroughfares in the San Fernando Valley; as it was originally a part of the El Camino Real (the trail between Spanish missions), Ventura Boulevard is the oldest route in the San Fernando Valley. It was also U.S. . ``We're going back and looking at all vandalism reported in the area at religious institutions,'' said Mark Leap, second in command of the Los Angeles Police Department's Counter-Terrorism Bureau. ``We're also talking to Noun 1. talking to - a lengthy rebuke; "a good lecture was my father's idea of discipline"; "the teacher gave him a talking to" lecture, speech rebuke, reprehension, reprimand, reproof, reproval - an act or expression of criticism and censure; "he had to all religious institutions.'' Before dawn Thursday, police arrested a man on suspicion of trespassing near California State University, Northridge CSUN offers a variety of programs leading to bachelor's degrees in 61 fields and master's degrees in 42 fields. The university has over 150,000 alumni. It's also home to a summer musical theater/theater program known as TADW (TeenAge Drama Workshop) that leads teenagers through an , and questioned him about the fires. He was later released. ``We haven't cleared him,'' said LAPD spokeswoman Mary Grady. ``We're not going to eliminate anybody. We don't know if it was one person or several people.'' More than 150 local and federal investigators have been assigned to the high-priority case. The LAPD has assigned 65 detectives from its Counter-Terrorism Bureau, which has specialists in hate crimes. District Attorney Steve Cooley has also assigned his specialists in hate crimes and arson to the case. ``They're aggressively working with local and federal investigative agencies to assist in developing and gathering evidence for future prosecution of a perpetrator A term commonly used by law enforcement officers to designate a person who actually commits a crime. or perpetrators of these condemnable acts against religious buildings of worship,'' Cooley said in a printed statement. Investigators have been fielding calls to a tip line, Grady said, and the pace of the investigation is brisk. Police fanned out this week asking religious leaders at more than 100 institutions whether there have been any suspicious incidents that might not have been reported. ``We can't relax,'' said Steven Koff, the director of B'nai Brith, based in Woodland Hills. ``We're all on alert.'' CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1 -- 2 -- color) Rabbi Harold Schulweiss joins religious leaders at an interfaith service Thursday at St. Cyril's Catholic Church in united condemnation of worship-site firebombings that have shocked congregations in Los Angeles. Below, Daniel Witzling, foreground, is among worshippers who attended. Andy Holzman/Staff Photographer |
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