On April 27, 2019, 60-year-old Lori Gilbert-Kaye was killed in a shooting at the Chabad of Poway synagogue in Poway, California on the last day of Passover. She had been at the service to recite the Yizkor memorial prayer for her recently deceased mother. When the gunman entered and opened fire, Lori stepped in front of Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein to protect him and was shot; she died from her wounds. The attacker used a semi-automatic rifle, wounded three others including Rabbi Goldstein, an 8-year-old girl named Noya Dahan, and her uncle Almog Peretz, and fled after the weapon jammed.

The shooter was later identified as 19-year-old John T. Earnest. He was linked to an earlier arson attack on a mosque in Escondido a month before the synagogue shooting. Earnest was charged with murder, attempted murder, and hate crime allegations, pleaded guilty to the charges, and in September 2021 received life without parole plus additional federal time. Lori is remembered by her community as a Woman of Valor who acted to protect others. Does anyone have memories of Lori or information about that day to share?