Jewish institutions nationwide are bracing for bomb threats and other attacks after the Hamas terrorist invasion of southern Israel.
In New York and Los Angeles, police confirmed increased patrols and police presence at synagogues and other Jewish facilities.
“Given the situation unfolding in Israel, we have surged resources to sensitive locations and have an abundance of caution to ensure that all New Yorkers stay safe,” a New York Police Department spokesperson told The Washington Times on Tuesday.
The spokesperson said the NYPD’s “intelligence and counterterrorism bureau deploys a wide range of resources to protect the city. This includes high-visibility resources like critical response command and counterterrorism offices, as well as our intelligence division personnel.”
A spokeswoman for the Los Angeles Police Department said the force is also on alert.
“LAPD is working closely with our federal partners to monitor the conflict. and its potential impact locally,” the spokeswoman said. “While the department has identified any specific credible threat to Los Angeles, it’s important that all department personnel remain vigilant, while providing extra patrols [and] high visibility.”
And in Florida, the Miami Police Department has circulated a list of synagogues and related buildings to its officers and addresses of the city’s mosques, said Officer Michael Vega, a public information officer.
In an address Tuesday from the White House, President Biden promised to increase federal security protection for houses of worship, including synagogues and related facilities.
“We’re also taking steps at home and [in] cities across the United States of America,” Mr. Biden said. “The Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Bureau of Investigation are working closely with state and local law enforcement and Jewish community partners to identify and disrupt any domestic threat that could emerge in connection with these horrific attacks.”
Bomb threats disrupted special worship services Sunday at two synagogues in northern Utah — one in Salt Lake City and the other at the state’s oldest Jewish congregation in Ogden. The services had been held to celebrate Simchat Torah, a holiday marking the completion of the yearly Torah readings and the commencement of a new cycle.
Rabbi Samuel Spector of Congregation Kol Ami in Salt Lake City said Monday that the synagogue, which has 400 families affiliated with it, “got a bomb threat emailed to us and we were in the middle of our Simchat Torah holiday services. I immediately stopped the service and we evacuated the building.”
“Everybody just knew exactly what to do. They calmly exited the building, and went to our evacuation spot,” Rabbi Spector said.
A police officer was already on-site during the service, the rabbi said, adding that a member-supported “security fee … helps us cover [the cost of the] police presence.”
The Salt Lake City Police Department investigated threats against two Jewish institutions, a spokesperson told The Times, but would not specify the locations or confirm “whether the threat made any mention of a bomb or explosive device.”
The department “has increased its patrol presence at the synagogues and Jewish Community Center in Salt Lake City,” the spokesperson said.
Roughly 40 miles north of Kol Ami, Congregation Brith Sholem in Ogden received a bomb threat via email, said Janice Ward, the congregation’s president.
“I called the police, and there was a swift response,” Ms. Brown told The Times via email. “The building was evacuated, and the bomb squad called in to clear all [areas]. We are being observant for future threats and have security at services.”
A Jewish Federations of North America spokesperson said threats tied to overseas occurrences are not unusual.
“Unfortunately, we’ve had a history in which events in the Middle East sometimes spill over into the streets here and flare up here,” said Niv Elis, the group’s associate vice president of external communications.
“We’re certainly always vigilant,” Mr. Elis said. “We’ve seen things that have happened in the past that give us cause for concern. But thankfully, right now, we haven’t had any specific, credible threats.”
Michael Masters, national director and CEO of the Secure Community Network, the security organization of North America’s Jewish community, said the group remains watchful.
“We are monitoring a significant uptick in conversation on social media, from individuals associated with various violent, extremist ideologies that are encouraging exploiting circumstances to act out against the Jewish community,” Mr. Masters said.
He credited “very strong coordination” among law enforcement agencies and community leaders for expanded police protection.
“We’ve been in coordination with the broad array of Jewish houses of worship, synagogues and day schools across the country,” Mr. Masters said. “We have issued guidance on their physical security and guidance related to civil unrest and potential protest activity.”
• Mark A. Kellner can be reached at mkellner@washingtontimes.com.