Los Angeles Jewish Community Reacts to Kansas Jewish Center Shooting

The Jewish community of the Pico and Roberston area prepared for passover, an eight-day celebration commemorating the freeing of the Israelites in Ancient Egypt, on Monday. One community member, Samantha Goldenberg, has spent the past few days "koshering" her kitchen in anticipation.

However, Sunday's deadly shooting at a Jewish community center in Kansas city has turned a celebration of freedom into a reflection on a history of violence. The executive director of the West Side Jewish Community Center in Los Angeles feels as though the demonstration reminds the greater Jewish community that, to a certain extent, they still "live in exile."

A similar incident occured in 1999, when a man opened fire at the North Valley Jewish Community Center in Grenada Hills, wounding five people. On Monday, Jewish Community Centers across the nation still wonder what transforms their space from one of religious refuge to one of tragedy.

Authorities say there is enough evidence to warrant a hate crime prosecution. Officials expect to release further information Tuesday.