SAN DIEGO _ Heroes and victims of the shooting Saturday at Chabad of Poway took a star turn in the White House Rose Garden Thursday as President Donald Trump summoned Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein and two others to a podium just off the Oval Office during the National Day of Prayer observance.
The impromptu invitations were extended on live television as Trump spoke about defeating hate in the wake of the Poway synagogue assault and other recent terrorist acts in houses of worship in New Zealand, Sri Lanka and Pittsburgh.
"We've seen evil and hate-filled attacks on religious communities in the United States and all around the world," Trump said, moments before calling U.S. Border Patrol Agent Jonathan Morales and Army veteran Oscar Stewart to his side.
The two men, who played key roles in limiting the damage wrought by the gunman who killed one woman and injured three others at the San Diego synagogue last week, appeared genuinely stunned by the request.
But they made their way forward, took a moment to gather themselves and spoke eloquently about their experience.
"I just want to say everything the President said, I echo," said Stewart, an Iraq War veteran who was standing in the back of the synagogue and ran toward the bullets when the gunfire rang out Saturday morning.
"We need to be strong as a group of people who love God, whether you call Him Mohammad, whether you call Him Shiva, whether you call Him Yahweh Hashem," he said. "We need to be strong because that's the only way we are going to defeat evil."
Morales also spoke about the surprise of the shooting somehow drawing him _ and others _ into action.
"We were attacked with our backs turned, but brave people stood up and confronted this person and we ended this situation as best we could with the resources we had," he said.
Morales, who also helped disrupt the shooter's plan to kill as many Jews as possible, then cited a favored quote from a rabbi.
"He said in order to fight these random acts of violence, we must continue to do random acts of kindness," Morales said. "All of us keep doing mitzvah and good deeds and we will overcome this evilness."
The president welcomed the sentiments.
"Incredible job both of you have done," he said. "Your bravery is an inspiration to us all."
Trump then spoke about Goldstein, saying he had gotten to know the Chabad of Poway rabbi somewhat well during the phone calls they shared in recent days and inviting him to follow Stewart and Morales.
With his hands still bandaged from bullet wounds to both hands, Goldstein thanked the president for his leadership over the difficult days following the attack and described how the attack forced him to fight for his followers.
"I should have been dead by now, based on the rule of statistics," he said. "I was in the line of fire, bullets flying all the way. My fingers got blown off, but I did not stop. The rabbi taught me as a Jew you are a soldier of God. You need to stand tall and stand fast and do whatever it takes to change the world."
The Poway rabbi then said the attack had changed him, and prompted him to fight for a return to recognizing a higher power in public schools so young people are more aware of other cultures.
"Every human being is created in God's image," Goldstein said. "If something good could come out of this terrible, terrible horrific event, let us bring back a moment of silence to our public school system."
