CT Synagogue Evacuated After Bomb Threat

Last week, Congregation B’nai Israel, a reform synagogue in Bridgeport, was evacuated after it received two bomb threats just hours before their sabbath services.

That same week marked the first anniversary of the Pittsburgh Tree of Life shooting.

Upon investigation, the location was deemed safe and congregants were allowed to re-enter the premises.

Police officers remained at the scene throughout the service and the call was soon traced to a mentally unstable man in Florida.

The American Jewish Committee is organizing a campaign encouraging people to attend synagogue services to show solidarity with the victims who were brutally murdered last year.

As a result of this tragedy, many Connecticut synagogues have taken extra precautions to protect their congregants.

“We are cognizant of this anniversary,” said Rabbi Jon-Jay Pilsen of Congregation Beth El – Keser Israel in New Haven.

“We have over the course of months increased and improved our security methods,” he said, adding that security enhancements have been made to the building itself.

According to Rabbi Joshua Hecht of Beth Israel Chabad of Westport/Norwalk, anti-semitism has become rampant and  “these instances of antisemitism in the US represent a “paradigm shift” in the way synagogues think of security.”

Judy Alerin, who is the CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven, said that she was dismayed at what happened and is concerned that the number of copy-cat crimes will increase.

Bridgeport police, along with other units throughout the state, will continue to pay special attention to synagogue security, doing their best to ensure that all congregants remain unharmed.

IMAGE COURTESY OF JTA.ORG