Bucks County Courier Times: Local synagogues urged to raise security for Rosh Hashanah

  • September 13, 2018

By James McGinnis
@James_McGinnis

Posted Sep 7, 2018 at 6:45 PM

The Anti-Defamation League reported a 60 percent increase in anti-Semitic incidents in the U.S. last year.

Local Jews will celebrate Rosh Hashanah, The Days of Awe and Yom Kippur with the assistance of local police and hired guards stationed outside some area synagogues.

Security and local police coverage is necessary to help worshipers feel “at peace” during the high holidays, said Rabbi Benjamin David, of the Adath Emanu synagogue in Mount Laurel, New Jersey.

Bensalem police and private security also will assist at Congregation Tifereth Isreal in Bucks County, said Rabbi Jeff Schnitzer.

“We are working with the police and I’d prefer not to discuss the details about that,” Schnitzer said. “The security people are outside the building, and people feel comforted in knowing that (security) are there.”

On Friday afternoon, the Anti-Defamation League issued an alert to 150 synagogues in Delaware, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, urging them to plan security for the Jewish holidays. Rosh Hashanah, begins at sundown Sunday and continues through Tuesday night.

The ADL reports a 60 percent increase in anti-Semitic incidents in the United States last year. The organization recommends synagogues make sure “ushers understand that they play a critical role in security matters” and also advised “procedures for controlling access to houses of worship.”

“When religious institutions demonstrate that they take security seriously on a daily basis, congregants will feel more comfortable and secure as we enter the holiday period,” said Nancy Baron-Baer, ADL regional director.

Adath Emanu takes security “very seriously” every time they meet, said David. “If you’re a parent, you want to see the multiple layers of security.”

Tifereth Israel has experienced no incidents of anti-Semitism, said Schnitzer, its rabbi of 20 years.

“Anti-Semitism has been given a voice recently and so we’re hearing about it more. But it’s nothing new,” he said. “It’s something we’ve dealt with and we will continue to deal with.”