Another day, another shooting in a house of worship.

I don’t intend to make this sound like a sort of “new normal.” But, damn, there are far too many of these tragedies occurring.

The latest spasm of violence occurred this weekend in Poway, Calif., in a synagogue. We can’t call this one a “mass slaughter,” given that one woman died; three others were injured.

The shooter appears to be someone who had been involved in an arson fire at a mosque in Escondido, another San Diego County community not far from Poway.

One of the particularly heartbreaking aspects of this tragedy is that the woman who died, Lori Gilbert Kaye, took bullets aimed at Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein, who suffered minor wounds in the attack. Kaye died later in a hospital, but she has emerged clearly as a heroic figure in this ghastly event. She shielded the rabbi from death. How does one come to grips with that?

The gunman was captured later by an off-duty Border Patrol agent, who drew praise from Donald Trump, who offered his “thoughts and prayers” for the congregants of the synagogue.

The shooter reportedly left a note that referenced the recent mosque massacre in Christchurch, New Zealand after the mosque fire in Escondido.

Hate crimes are persisting in this country. Is this yet another demonstration of the intolerance that appears to have been given new life by the tone and tenor of the political rhetoric we are hearing around the country?

My goodness! We need to come to grips firmly and assuredly with this menace. This nation needs leadership from the very top of its political chain of command to commence that discussion.

Thoughts and prayers aren’t nearly enough.