NY Jewish preschool closes and others heighten security amid vague Hamas threats
A security guard stands outside the front door of Machzikei Hadas Orthodox synagogue on Oct. 8, 2023, in Ottawa after the Palestinian militant group Hamas launched an assault on Israel. Photo by Dave Chan/AFP via Getty Images
By Stewart Ain October 12, 2023
Jewish institutions are heightening security in response to a call from the former leader of Hamas for Muslims around the world to engage in a day of protest on Friday and for countries to join Hamas in the battle against Israel. Some worry that the call can be interpreted as an invitation to harm Jews. The leaders of at least one school, a Jewish preschool in Queens, New York, have decided to close on Friday.
Though pro-Palestinian groups are planning rallies on Friday, including one in New York City’s Times Square, security officials Thursday reported no credible against Jewish communities and elected leaders promised to step up security around synagogues, Jewish schools and Jewish community centers.
“There’s no reason to feel afraid,” said New York Gov. Kathy Hochul. “There’s no reason to alter our lives or routines.” She and New York City Mayor Eric Adams held a joint briefing with Jewish leaders Thursday to assure that there will be a strong police presence around Jewish institutions.
Michael Masters, head of the Secure Community Network, which works to keep Jewish institutions safe, also said in a webinar briefing Thursday that his group is “not aware of any direct credible threats against the Jewish community in the U.S.” He added that protests planned for Friday against Israel, which is retaliating against Hamas for its assault on the country last week, have heightened anxiety in the Jewish community and that he anticipates antisemitic incidents to rise.
But entering synagogues or any other Jewish institution “should be done with confidence,” he added. “Yes, we are in an elevated and protracted threatened environment, but we must not let the terrorists take away our confidence or ability to embrace our religion.”
FBI Director Christopher Wray told reporters Thursday that the agency is aware of the former Hamas leader’s remarks. “We’ll engage with all of our field offices to mitigate any kind of potential threats that might arise during activities associated with that,” he said. He added that he aims not to raise alarm, but to assure that “the FBI is most assuredly paying attention.”
No school
The Queens school made the decision to close despite reassurances from elected officials and guidance from the Jewish Security Alliance of NY/NJ, a network of organizations that collaborate to protect Jewish institutions, to remain “open and operational.” The alliance also advised that “given the heightened tensions” Jewish groups should take extra precautions, including allowing people to enter and exit from only one door, and screening all mail and packages.
The school’s executive director, who asked not to be identified for fear of recriminations, said that even before she made the decision, parents had contacted her to say they planned to keep their children home.
“The fact that this idiot made this statement about a day of jihad — he let the dogs out and who knows what terrible things people can do,” she said. “Some of the information [from security experts] we have did advise us to close. Our leadership decided to err on the side of caution.” Israel, known for its advanced intelligence agencies, she added, failed to predict Saturday’s attack on the Jewish state. She declined to reveal what security experts had advised the school.
‘Added layer of caution’
While law enforcement plans to keep a close eye on Jewish institutions Friday, Jewish groups themselves have beefed up security. The Marlene Meyerson JCC in Manhattan in an email to members Thursday wrote that its security director “for an added layer of caution has been in close contact with military and intelligence sources” and that all visitors will be asked to pass through metal detectors in the coming days. That’s in addition, the email stated, to the usual police “in marked and unmarked cars outside the JCC throughout the day and uniformed and plainclothes officers circulating on foot around the building.”
Rabbi Eli Weinstock, president of the New York Board of Rabbis, said Thursday that synagogues “across the board” are consulting with local law enforcement agencies, concerned that “what is going on in Israel might spill out over here.”
“I can understand that some institutions may feel the need to curtail or cancel programing and may wish to increase security,” Weinstock said. “My hope is that more people will come to synagogue this Shabbat to show solidarity and support for Israel the way Jews should, by being Jewish.”
Rabbi Joseph Potasnik, the board’s executive vice president, said one Christian clergyman told him he plans to “go to shul on Shabbat to show solidarity.”
Two Jewish schools in London will close until Monday, Sky News reported on Thursday. The schools referenced a spike in antisemitic incidents in Britain since the start of the war Saturday.
More than 1,200 Israelis were killed in Hamas’ attacks on Israel, according to Israeli officials, and at least 1,500 Palestinians have been killed as Israel seeks to debilitate Hamas, according to the Palestinian Health ministry.
The call to protest came from former Hamas chief Khaled Meshaal, who is based in Qatar, in a recorded statement sent to Reuters.
“[We must] head to the squares and streets of the Arab and Islamic world on Friday,” Meshaal said.
Since Hamas’ attack on Israel, activists have organized both pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian rallies in many cities across the U.S. Most have remained peaceful.
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