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Another day, another rock throwing at a synagogue in Riverdale (where I live)
By now local synagogues have been hit multiple times
The perp also chucked a rock at worshippers who spotted him approaching as they closed up for the night https://newyork.cbslocal.com/2021/04/25/riverdale-synagogues-vandalized-rock-throwing-nypd-hate-crimes-task-force/
By now local synagogues have been hit multiple times
The perp also chucked a rock at worshippers who spotted him approaching as they closed up for the night https://newyork.cbslocal.com/2021/04/25/riverdale-synagogues-vandalized-rock-throwing-nypd-hate-crimes-task-force/
Police have stepped up patrols to dissuade and capture the suspect
Apparently this is playing into a conversation some are having about the role of police in protecting Jewish houses of worship, with some arguing that their presence makes neighborhoods less safe for others
Apparently this is playing into a conversation some are having about the role of police in protecting Jewish houses of worship, with some arguing that their presence makes neighborhoods less safe for others
As a security volunteer for multiple synagogues, I’ll offer a few insights:
1. No synagogue *wants* to be the focus of increased police presence
2. In fact, no synagogue *wants* to worry about security at all, but a regular cadence of attacks on Jewish houses of worship has...
1. No synagogue *wants* to be the focus of increased police presence
2. In fact, no synagogue *wants* to worry about security at all, but a regular cadence of attacks on Jewish houses of worship has...
made this a necessity
3. Many synagogues (including in Riverdale) take a wholistic approach to security, in which interfacing with police has a narrow but important role
4. We engage with community leaders and officials, and try to be good neighbors with others in the...
3. Many synagogues (including in Riverdale) take a wholistic approach to security, in which interfacing with police has a narrow but important role
4. We engage with community leaders and officials, and try to be good neighbors with others in the...
community; this isn’t only for security reasons, but it can help
5. Those who can afford it have invested in facility upgrades for security
6. Many (including mine!) have both private security and community security volunteers, which allows us to tailor our solutions to...
5. Those who can afford it have invested in facility upgrades for security
6. Many (including mine!) have both private security and community security volunteers, which allows us to tailor our solutions to...
the congregation and keep our synagogues both welcoming AND safe
7. So when do we work with the NYPD? Either to report an incident (eg smashed windows) or to coordinate increased police presence at sensitive times (eg following...
7. So when do we work with the NYPD? Either to report an incident (eg smashed windows) or to coordinate increased police presence at sensitive times (eg following...
an attack on a Jewish community or during high-traffic events like high holidays)
8. We report incidents both because it helps police and community leaders make communal security decisions informed by accurate data, and because people who commit hate crimes can escalate from...
8. We report incidents both because it helps police and community leaders make communal security decisions informed by accurate data, and because people who commit hate crimes can escalate from...
property damage to physical violence, and earlier interventions can save lives
9. When we coordinate increased police presence, it’s generally to deter potential attackers from attempting something in view of uniformed officers; we usually don’t have police checking...
9. When we coordinate increased police presence, it’s generally to deter potential attackers from attempting something in view of uniformed officers; we usually don’t have police checking...
individuals coming into the building - that’s the job for security guards and volunteers who know the membership
10. Synagogues don’t directly coordinate increased police presence in an entire neighborhood; by the time something like that happens, it’s police responding to...
10. Synagogues don’t directly coordinate increased police presence in an entire neighborhood; by the time something like that happens, it’s police responding to...
a known danger or pattern of attacks, and is ultimately a precinct decision on how to respond to the neighborhood threat level
11. In Riverdale, we have someone who’s escalated past the point of a one-off vandalism. He keeps targeting the same Jewish spaces despite knowing...
11. In Riverdale, we have someone who’s escalated past the point of a one-off vandalism. He keeps targeting the same Jewish spaces despite knowing...
that he’s wanted by police and has been recorded on video, and he’s even attempted to assault community members
This is precisely the situation that calls for police intervention. The attacks are escalating, deterrence isn’t working, and at this point the suspect just needs...
This is precisely the situation that calls for police intervention. The attacks are escalating, deterrence isn’t working, and at this point the suspect just needs...
to be apprehended for it to stop. The police are the *only* ones in this situation qualified to do that
12. Still have doubts? A group letter signed by progressive NY politicians has specifically cited the need for police involvement and urges anyone with...
12. Still have doubts? A group letter signed by progressive NY politicians has specifically cited the need for police involvement and urges anyone with...
info to contact the NYPD https://www.nysenate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/alessandra-biaggi/statement-state-senator-alessandra-biaggi-congressman
13. While recent events in Minnesota and Ohio are only the latest examples of a very real need to recalibrate the roles and responsibilities of police in our communities, that doesn’t mean that police should never have a role...
13. While recent events in Minnesota and Ohio are only the latest examples of a very real need to recalibrate the roles and responsibilities of police in our communities, that doesn’t mean that police should never have a role...
or that Riverdale synagogue leadership is somehow misguided for working with the NYPD in this case
I worry that rhetoric which seeks to frame the Jewish community as “endangering” their neighbors over what is ultimately an operational decision by the NYPD has the potential to...
I worry that rhetoric which seeks to frame the Jewish community as “endangering” their neighbors over what is ultimately an operational decision by the NYPD has the potential to...
reinforce a hatred of our community by people who already irrationally blame us for other societal ills - adding “policing issues” to the already lengthy laundry list - hatred which is often at the heart of attacks like what we’re experiencing
As Jews we should be...
As Jews we should be...
working to better our local communities in sanctification of God’s name and Torah values, which includes advocating in partnership with other minority communities for communal safety and well-being
This does not mean, however, that we should shun assistance from authorities...
This does not mean, however, that we should shun assistance from authorities...
when needed or that we are irresponsible for contacting them when our physical safety is credibly threatened
Hopefully the perp will soon be apprehended with minimal force and we can focus, in a post-Covid vaccine world, on reinvigorating our congregations and our...
Hopefully the perp will soon be apprehended with minimal force and we can focus, in a post-Covid vaccine world, on reinvigorating our congregations and our...
connections with our neighbors
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