Metro Atlanta synagogues on high alert after deadly U.K. terror attack on Yom Kippur
Synagogues in metro Atlanta and around the world are on high alert for possible antisemitic attacks following last week's knife attack on a synagogue in the British city of Manchester.
Two people were killed and at least three seriously wounded in the incident, which happened on Yom Kippur, or 'Day of Atonement', the holiest day in the Jewish calendar.
Peter Berg, a senior rabbi at The Temple, a synagogue in Midtown Atlanta, said, in his view, Jews are more at risk than ever.
"I cannot think of a time in my lifetime where antisemitism has reached the level of concern that I see today," Berg told CBS News Atlanta.
The Anti-Defamation League reported 9,354 antisemitic incidents across the United States in 2024, including more than 160 in Georgia. The incidents included violence, vandalism, and harassment — an 893% increase since 2014.
Berg told CBS News Atlanta that congregants have recently asked for guidance about how to respond to incidents in local schools involving suspected antisemitism. In some cases, questions arise in relation to "teachers who don't agree with the State of Israel or have challenges with Israel that say and do difficult things," Berg said. But in other cases, he added, "We've had issues with maps [erasing Israel], incorrect maps passed out. We've had issues with children's behavior with drawing swastikas in a classroom. All of these things have been happening."
The ADL says less than half of Jewish students reported feeling physically safe on their campuses during the fall semester of the 2023-2024 school year.