Public security

US Synagogues Enhance Self-Defense

Jewish organizations in the US face multiple types of threats, including from far-right nationalists and neo-Nazis, radical Islamists and far-left anti-Israel activists. Some synagogues have reported shooting incidents, like the synagogue in Evansville, Indiana, that reported a bullet hole in a Hebrew school classroom window in March.

Typical security arrangements around major synagogues in several US cities on a Saturday include blocking off streets, and uniformed off-duty police officers, paid by the synagogues for the morning, stand near a cruiser parked nearby or direct traffic on the main street.

In addition, volunteers with walkie-talkie earpieces stand at strategic points outside the synagogues keeping an eye on foot traffic. A few may have swept through the synagogue before services checking for suspicious objects.