20 years ago today we heard news of the shooting that took the life of Ari Halberstam.

I rushed to the scene shortly after the shooting. I stood in the hospital with Mayor Giuliani. We were all shocked.

Law enforcement officials didn’t want to call the incident terrorism but it was clear to many of us what had occurred. This was not a random killing. Ari had been murdered because he was Jewish. That was the killer’s only reason for shooting him.

It was a great tragedy that shocked New Yorkers and especially the Jewish community.

In many ways, the act and the response was similar to the first World Trade Center bombing. The authorities refused to consider—at least out loud—what had really occurred. It would take additional acts of terrorism to convince people that there are those who want to attack Americans simply because of who we are.

Terrorism is a real threat. There are people among us who want to do damage and cause pain. We have to know this and not be politically correct when it comes to protecting our citizens. We need to go to where the problem is and deal with it.

Ari Halberstam was an innocent soul. Those who knew him spoke of what a kind and good human being he was. May his memory be a blessing for his family and for all of us, and may the memory of that tragedy remind us of who we are and what our obligations are.

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