Jewish groups are in mourning and on alert
Worshipers filing into Bay Area synagogues are being met this week by security guards and metal detectors in the wake of the horrific attack by a gunman in Pittsburgh on a Jewish congregation that left 11 people dead.
Jewish groups say they are beefing up security outside the doors of congregations and cultural meetings, particularly in places where vigils will be held for the Pittsburgh victims.
The actions come in response to Saturday’s attack, when a gunman walked into the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill neighborhood and shot 17 people, fatally wounding 11. Authorities said Robert Bowers had a history of writing anti-Semitic social media posts, and has been charged with 29 criminal counts including homicide, aggravated assault and ethnic intimidation.
“Today, we saw another horrific act of hate at a house of worship,” Richard Cohen, president of the Southern Poverty Law Center, a hatewatch group that tracks extremist groups and crimes, said Saturday. “This time, the murder of at least 11 congregants at Pittsburgh’s Tree of
Life Synagogue by a man who reportedly shouted ‘All Jews need to die’ before he opened fire.”
In the Bay Area, local Jewish leaders say that worshipers are fearful and that they hope the added security helps allay those fears. In San Francisco on Sunday, private security guards searched bags as a pair of police officers kept watch over an interfaith vigil at Temple Emanu-El. People had to walk through metal detectors before entering the synagogue.
Executive director David Goldman said the temple typically increases security when there are big events on the premises like Sunday’s vigil — and has used the metal detectors in the past and will continue using them.
“People are nervous, they’re angry, they’re scared, they’re concerned,” Goldman said. “They were happy to see the extra security that we had and that we’re taking it seriously.
Since Saturday, multiple groups have been working with the Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund, a San Francisco philanthropy and cultural organization, to discuss new safety protocols.
“We are also working with Jewish organizations and synagogues to identify additional needs, which may include active shooter and incident preparedness training,” spokeswoman Kerry Philp said in a statement.
In 1999, a white supremacist entered a Jewish Community Center in Granada Hills (Los Angeles County) and shot five people, citing his hatred of Jews. The added protection at San Francisco synagogues is a buffer against what could be threats of similar violence. According to the Anti-Defamation League, anti-Semitic incidents have risen sharply over the last decade, peaking in 2017 at 1,986 documented incidents.
There has been an increase in anti-Semitic robocalls and social media posts in recent months, according to the federation. Those robocalls have targeted several prominent cultural groups and leaders, including Sen. Dianne Feinstein.
The federation hired a dedicated community security director months ago, Philp said, and he requested additional security patrols for organizations that work with the federation from the state-funded Northern California Regional Intelligence Center, a government terrorism prevention and intelligence agency. His group also is helping organizations apply for security funding and plan safety workshops for congregation staff.
Bay Area religious groups and leaders have condemned Saturday’s shooting, calling on political leaders to take a stronger stance against extremism and hate.
“This highlights the increasing intolerance and hatred and requires leadership,” said Oliver Benn, the executive director of San Francisco Hillel.
At San Francisco Hillel near San Francisco State University, Benn said, the group in recent months installed additional front door security and surveillance cameras trained on the walkway. It was in response, he said, to “unstable individuals rather than acts of terror.”
The security efforts even extended to student groups at Bay Area colleges hosting vigils. At San Jose State University, college students planned a Monday evening vigil that organizer Spencer Brodie called “a safe space to mourn.”
“We want to give people the opportunity to grieve and say what they need to say,” Brodie said. “A terrorist may kill some of us, but as a community we are strong and won’t ever be defeated.”
Brodie said they had reached out to the university’s police department to inform them of the event.
In San Francisco, police contacted San Francisco Hillel after the shooting, executive director Benn said. College students at a healing space hosted by San Francisco Hillel began brainstorming ideas for helping people process the trauma.
The focus of the staff, Benn said, was on ensuring support for its students as they plan remembrance events.
At UCSF, student leaders planned for a Monday afternoon vigil at Toland Hall, which was to be simulcast to its Mission Bay campus.
Several vigils hosted by Jewish congregations and interfaith groups are also planned for this week in the East Bay, including Monday night at the Jewish Community Center of the East Bay in Berkeley and on Tuesday evening at Congregation B’nai Shalom in Walnut Creek.
“We want to give people the opportunity to grieve and say what they need to say . ... As a community we are strong.” Spencer Brodie, vigil organizer at San Jose State University