‘Beloved member of Boulder community’: Firebombing victim Karen Diamond dies
“This horrific act is part of a broader and deeply troubling rise in antisemitic violence across the United States,” the Federation stated.
Scene of the attack in Boulder, Colorado, on June 1, 2025
Multiple Jewish organizations offered condolences after Karen Diamond, 82, a victim of the antisemitic firebombing in Boulder, Colo., on June 1, died from her injuries.
“This horrific act is part of a broader and deeply troubling rise in antisemitic violence across the United States,” the Jewish Federations of North America stated. “It is no longer possible to separate online hate, city hall rhetoric and campus incitement from real-world consequences. Our communities are being targeted—for being Jewish, for speaking out, for simply showing up.”
“We are devastated by the loss of this beloved member of the Boulder community,” stated Susan Rona, regional director for the Anti-Defamation League. “Her death highlights the danger of antisemitic rhetoric becoming normalized in our country, resulting in increasing levels of violence aimed at the Jewish community.”
The Boulder District Attorney’s Office stated that 29 people were victims of the attack, including 13 who suffered physical injuries. At least one victim remains hospitalized.
The district attorney’s office stated that it is amending the counts of criminal attempt to commit first-degree murder to first-degree murder. “Those two murder counts each pertain to the one victim who has passed away,” it said.
Michael Dougherty, the city district attorney, stated that “this horrific attack has now claimed the life of an innocent person who was beloved by her family and friends.”
“Our hearts are with the Diamond family during this incredibly difficult time. Our office will fight for justice for the victims, their loved ones and the community,” he stated.
“Part of what makes Colorado special is that people come together in response to a tragedy,” he added. “I know that the community will continue to unite in supporting the Diamond family and all the victims of this attack.”
Rep. Joe Neguse (D-Colo.) stated that the death is “a devastating and profound loss for our Boulder community.”
Federal task force finds Harvard guilty of anti-Jewish bias in violation of civil-rights law
“Harvard did not dispute our findings of fact, nor could it. These facts, while tragic for the individuals involved, are important to address for a broader, historical reason as well,” the task force stated in a letter to the Harvard president.
“As history has proven, the failure to face the reality of antisemitism can have catastrophic effects,” the task force stated.
Among the examples that the Task Force to Combat Antisemitism cited in its letter are a “majority” of Jewish Harvard students experiencing “negative bias or discrimination on campus, while a quarter felt physically unsafe,” Jewish and Israeli students being spat upon and hiding their Jewish identities “from classmates for fear of ostracization” and a multi-week encampment at the center of campus that “instilled fear in, and disrupted the studies of, Jewish and Israeli students.”
“Even worse, individuals who participated in the encampment received lax and inconsistent discipline, and as the discipline was reviewed by higher levels among the faculty, it was often downgraded,” the task force said.
© JNS
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