Police authorities in New York City are on constant alert amid fears of terrorist attacks on Jewish synagogues following the missile attack launched by Iran against Israel.
In statements, US officials confirmed that the heavy deployment of police presence, which has been in place for weeks, is to be expanded in the coming days, especially on October 7, which will be the first anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel that sparked the conflict between the Netanyahu government and the Palestinian group.
“We were already on alert,” a spokesman for the New York Police Department (NYPD) said, adding that “we have already deployed counter-terrorism measures around the city.”
The streets of New York City will be filled with officers
New Yorkers are expected to see more heavily armed men belonging to Hercules, the NYPD’s Emergency Response Unit, and uniformed men in police vehicles outside Jewish institutions, synagogues, foreign consulates and public places such as Times Square and Central Park, the spokesman claimed.
At the same time, Israelis who want to know about the condition of their relatives are anxious. Case in point is Chava Linder, who resides in Israel but traveled to Brooklyn this week to worship at the Chabad Lubavitch World Headquarters on Eastern Parkway in Crown Heights and will not be able to use the phone or the Internet to contact his family, who have been in their homeland for four full days.
Linder is looking forward to being able to contact them Saturday afternoon. “We pray everything goes well… It’s a very bad feeling to live through a war. I’m grateful for the support of the NYPD…. “I saw two people from the NYPD and I said, ‘God bless you. It’s important for us to feel safe.”
“It’s a good feeling to know that the police authorities are making this effort,” said Chabad member Bruce Hofinger, 80, while expressing his strong displeasure with what is happening in Israel.
He is not, however, concerned about the possibility of domestic attacks against Jews in New York City. “I finished public school here and went to college in Manhattan…I’m not too worried.”
New York police on alert – Closely monitoring attacks
For his part, a spokesman for the New York Police Department stressed that the city’s Intelligence Bureau is also in constant contact with its overseas liaisons, receiving real-time information about the attacks via social media.
According to the Daily News, New York City Mayor Eric Adams confirmed the mobilization of authorities during his weekly address to reporters yesterday. “We are monitoring the situation closely,” Adams said. “We are taking every necessary measure to ensure that everyone stays safe and sound in the city over the Holy Days ahead ,” the NYPD said for its part.
The troops – however – who were drafted were in place long before yesterday’s missile attack by Tehran, NYPD officials said.
In addition, Governor Hotchul posted a statement on the X yesterday that police are being mobilized primarily in New York State. “I have been made aware of this ongoing situation and have asked @NYSPolice to increase patrols at at-risk locations throughout New York City,” he said in a message. “No threats to New Yorkers have been reported at this time. We continue to pray for peace and an end to violence.”
For his part, Rabbi Joshua M. Davidson of Temple Emanu-El on the Upper East Side asserted, “We are as prepared as we have ever been. The authorities are constantly at the highest level,” he said, adding: “This is just the nature of our synagogue life today, especially in the United States.”
That’s just the nature of this nature of the United States today. An official at a Jewish synagogue stressed that there will be security at the entrance to the temple to control who enters and exits. However, despite this and the measures taken by New York City, the rabbi did not hesitate to admit that citizens remain concerned. “People feel that (the security measures) are not enough, despite the Jewish community’s constant contacts with the police,” he said.
