The town of Los Angeles will enhance police patrols round Jewish locations of worship this week because the Excessive Holy Days start Monday night with Rosh Hashana.
“Our officers will likely be seen in neighborhoods, synagogues, faculties, and group facilities — not solely to discourage crime, but in addition to offer reassurance and partnership,” Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell mentioned in a press release.
This summer time, the LAPD elevated its presence round synagogues and Jewish group facilities in response to an increase in antisemitic assaults throughout the nation.
The Excessive Holy Days start with Rosh Hashana — the Jewish New Yr — and proceed by Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, which ends at dusk Oct. 2.
“Any and all types of antisemitism are unacceptable in Los Angeles and we’re taking motion to guard Jewish Angelenos particularly as we head into the Excessive Holy Days,” Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass mentioned in a ready assertion. “The LAPD is taking proactive, preventative measures. I wish to thank the LAPD for his or her continued efforts and collaboration in defending our communities.”
Wilshire Boulevard Temple mentioned its congregation was trying “ahead to welcoming the New Yr collectively, praying safely and peacefully in our sanctuaries.”
“Wilshire Boulevard Temple maintains a strong security and safety program with intensive plans and procedures in place,” a temple spokesperson mentioned. “Our workers is well-educated and educated within the acceptable and efficient response to threats. We preserve robust working relationships with legislation enforcement authorities. We’re assured that our campuses, faculties, and camps are among the many greatest ready within the nation, and we will guarantee you that the protection of all college students, households, school, clergy, and workers at Wilshire Boulevard Temple is our highest precedence.”
In June, Los Angeles metropolis officers met with Jewish leaders to handle their issues in response to a nationwide surge in antisemitic assaults following the beginning of the Israel-Hamas conflict on Oct. 7, 2023.
Assaults this yr have included the April firebombing of Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s house simply hours after Shapiro and his household held a Passover seder.
In Might, a person shot and killed two workers members of the Israeli Embassy in Washington outdoors a Jewish museum. The suspect in that incident shouted “Free Palestine” as he was arrested, in keeping with charging paperwork within the case.
The next month, a person threw Molotov cocktails at a gaggle of individuals in Boulder, Colo., whereas they demonstrated for the discharge of Israeli hostages held by Hamas. The Egyptian nationwide injured 12 individuals and was charged with a hate crime.
On Sunday, Rabbis Nicole Guzik and Erez Sherman at Sinai Temple in Los Angeles mentioned they appreciated the safety precautions taken by the town.
“At the same time as antisemitism is on the rise and visual even in our personal metropolis, we’re strolling into the New Yr with deep pleasure of who we’re,” Guzik mentioned. “We don’t need worry to exchange the blessings of the New Yr.”
