PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Preparing to welcome swarms of worshippers for the important religious seasons involves more than washing the windows and dusting the pews. Religious leaders these days must contend with lockdown drills and active-shooter response training.
"Pessimism is a luxury a Jew can never allow themselves to afford," says Sahar Oz, executive director of Society Hill Synagogue. He says Jews are resilient people.
“We hope for the best, and we act to the best of our abilities to ensure we can put those hopes into actions."
He says the Jewish High Holidays, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, are meant to be a time of joy and reflection and renewal, but a rise in antisemitism has synagogues on high alert.
“This is a sacred time, a very special time, and I think there's power and there's strength and there's a feeling of comfort and a feeling of home."
Related
Oz said he doesn't want Jewish people to be afraid to come out and worship, so he spends a lot of time making sure members of his congregation are prepared for anything.
"It's sad that in 2023 we have to do lockdown drills. That we have to do active-shooter response training,” Oz said. “We do this for all ages. We serve congregants and students from newborns up to those in their 90s."
He says it's just part of life these days, and the Philadelphia Police Department keeps a presence outside of the synagogue for the High Holidays.
The Secure Community Network, the North American Jewish community’s nonprofit security organization, monitors anti-Semitic threats nationwide and works to keep synagogues and Jewish schools safe from threats.
Related
"I spent almost 30 years in the FBI, and have never seen in those 30 years the state that we're in now," said Senior National Security Advisor Bradley Orsini.
“Hate speech hate incidents — not just at Jewish communities but all affected and targeted communities — and unfortunately it's only gotten worse."
Orsini says it's best to report all hate incidents to police, whether it's graffiti or a physical attack. He says Jewish people should be alert but not fearful heading into the High Holidays.
“We encourage our entire Jewish community to report that to our security director. They will, in turn, work with law enforcement to vet out and mitigate any potential threats.”