NYC ups security at Jewish sites after Israeli Embassy staff killed in Washington, D.C.
The Jewish community in New York City is on edge as a result of Wednesday night's fatal shooting of Israeli Embassy staffers Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim in Washington, D.C.
While it has found no credible threats, the NYPD says it is taking no chances following the attack outside the Capital Jewish Museum and is raising security at religious sites in New York.
Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, whose department covers the largest Jewish population outside Israel, said Thursday the precautions will last through the weekend.
NYPD securing Jewish sites after shooting in Washington, D.C.
New Yorkers at Jewish religious sites and cultural centers will see an increased police presence, including heavy weapons teams and counterterrorism officers, Tisch said. They were deployed for deterrence and reassurance for people to feel safe, she added.
Officers in the NYPD's Joint Operations Center are using tens of thousands of cameras to monitor live feeds across the five boroughs. They're looking for anything out of the ordinary, like a protest or people lingering. The NYPD also has large teams of investigators assigned to monitor social media for any potential threats.
Tisch, the first Jewish commissioner of the NYPD, said the deadly attack in Washington, D.C. was particularly painful.
"Generally, as a person of faith, I have a hard time understanding how someone could have so much hate in their heart to attack someone based on their religion, the color of their skin, who they love. So I really join the majority of New Yorkers being horrified by what's happened here," Tisch said.
When asked if there was any connection between the suspect in the Washington, D.C. attack and activist groups in New York, Tisch said she did not want to get ahead of the FBI, which is leading the investigation. However, she said the NYPD is working closely with the feds.
NYC synagogues on high alert after deadly shooting in D.C.
Police officers and a private security team were stationed outside Manhattan's Temple Emanu-El on East 66th Street and other Jewish institutions Thursday morning.
NYPD said in a statement posted to social media, "While there is no known nexus to NYC, in response to last night's horrific attack in DC targeting Jews and Israelis, the NYPD is increasing its presence at religious sites & cultural institutions with high visibility patrols, heavy weapons teams, and counterterrorism officers."
While hate crimes targeting the Jewish community are down 6% in New York City compared to the same time last year, police department statistics show they make up 56% of all hate crimes reported in the city.
"Antisemitism has been rising for a long time"
Rabbi Joshua Davidson said Temple Emanu-El's security has been at the highest level for a very long time, especially since Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. The temple is being even more vigilant after the shooting in Washington.
"This was a devastating attack and the community is deeply upset, sad, obviously for the losses, and also, once again, alarmed. Antisemitism has been rising for a long time, even before Oct. 7, but certainly since," Davidson said.
Davidson added that the Jewish community's guard is always up, noting the boulders that were installed outside after the deadly Tree of Life synagogue mass shooting in Pittsburgh to prevent vehicles from driving onto the curb.
He said Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the leader of the city's Catholic church, called him first thing Thursday morning to express his love, concern and solidarity with the Jewish community.
"Fear is not the answer"
Rabbi Arthur Schneier of Park East Synagogue is a 94-year-old Holocaust survivor, who lost his whole family at Auschwitz.
"Fear is not the answer," Schneier said.
Photos of D.C. victims Lischinsky and Milgrim now adorn Park East.
"Never thought that in the land of freedom that we would encounter this antisemitic wave metastasized," Schneier said.
Or Gat survived the Oct. 7 attack in Kibbutz Be'eri. His mother and sister were killed in captivity.
"It's the world we are living from Oct. 7," Gat said. "We need to eliminate vanish terror of any kind."
"Yes, we face persecution, oppression, expulsion and so forth, but we are still alive and that is a remarkable phenomenon of Jewish survival and resilience," Schneier added.
