CNN Message on Homeland Security and Anti-Jewish Bigotry in the New Jersey and New York Area: Thursday Night FBI notified that FBI is working with law enforcement
Thursday evening, the FBI said it takes all threats seriously and was working with law enforcement to investigate the threat and was also “engaged with our faith based partners in the affected community.” CNN has reached out to the FBI.
“We ask at this time that you take all security precautions to protect your community and facility. As soon as possible, we will tell you more. Stay alert. The post said that in case of emergency call police.
The source said that part of the worry was the recent mass killings on social media, including the 2018 Pittsburgh synagogue killings, which were the deadliest attacks on Jews in US history.
Murphy stated on the social networking site that they were working with local law enforcement to make sure houses of worship were protected.
“We also call upon New Jersey residents to be extra vigilant and if you see suspicious activity please report it to your local authorities without delay,” the attorney general said.
The president of a company that provides security for hundreds of Jewish houses of worship and schools in the New Jersey and New York area told CNN he sent out guidance to clients to ask for additional security from law enforcement.
Synagogues should contact law enforcement and ask them to increase patrols during prayers and other activities according to Joshua Gleis of the security consulting firm.
If a credible threat to a Jewish synagogue is made, Jewish schools in the area should also take similar actions until more information is available.
The NYPD also said Thursday its Intelligence and Counterterrorism Bureaus were working with the Joint Terrorism Task Force and the FBI to “ensure the safety and well-being of every area that encompasses our Jewish citizens and synagogues here in New York City and the tri-state area.”
The FBI’s warning on Thursday comes amid continued reports across the country of anti-Jewish bigotry, including multiple antisemitic messages that appeared in public spaces in Jacksonville, Florida, over the weekend, and a group of demonstrators who hung banners over a Los Angeles freeway earlier in October showing support for antisemitic comments that were made by Kanye West. There were photos of a group of people with their arms raised in a Nazi salute. The officials in Los Angeles condemn the incident.
West previously made a series of antisemitic outbursts, notably on October 8, when he tweeted he was “going death con 3 [sic] On JEWISH PEOPLE,” and also that, “You guys have toyed with me and tried to black ball anyone whoever opposes your agenda,” without specifying what group he was addressing, according to the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine records pulled by CNN.
His tweet was removed and Twitter locked his account. In a conversation with Piers Morgan, West told him he was sorry for the people he hurt but he didn’t regret making the remark.
NJ synagogue attacks and the FBI report of a New Jersey man convicted of an online anti-Jewish hate attack five years ago
The alert was posted after officials discovered an online threat directed broadly at synagogues in New Jersey, a law enforcement official said. The posting, though, did not target any specific synagogue by name, the official said. The official could not discuss details of the investigation publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
In Jersey City, Mayor Steven Fulop said police would be posted at the city’s seven synagogues and foot patrols would be added in the broader Jewish community. Three people were killed in a kosher market in Jersey City by two attackers who were motivated by anti-Jewish hate. Police officers with rifles were patrolling a synagogue one city over, where the public safety director also announced increased patrols in Jewish communities.
Five years ago, two New Jersey men were sentenced to 35 years in prison after being convicted for a series of attacks in 2012 that included the firebombings of two synagogues. They threw a Molotov cocktail at the rabbi as he slept with his wife and children.
The congressman in northern New Jersey said in a statement that the recent posts by West and Irving on social media had contributed to the problem.
“I am absolutely horrified and upset by the alert from the FBI, and I am deeply concerned about it,” he said. “This is what happens after years of antisemitic comments from public figures, including, most recently, Kanye West, Kyrie Irving, and others,” he said.