Heightened security at houses of worship in Massachusetts amid war in Israel
WALTHAM - Temple Beth Israel in Waltham called in a private security company to help ease people's concerns during an interfaith service Thursday night. "We want to make them feel at home, make them feel comfortable, and not have any trepidations about coming into our building because they're afraid something might happen," said Executive Director Andrea Baron.
Violence in Israel has heightened concern around potential targets here in the United States. In Providence this week, Temple Beth-El had a bomb threat. On the same day, graffiti hate messages showed up at the Palestinian Cultural Center in Brighton.
"At this heightened time, we're particularly concerned that Muslim women who wear the hijab, and houses of worship, and Muslim schools could experience threats of violence," said Tahirah Amatul-Wadud, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Council on American-Islamic Relations.
This week, President Biden met with Jewish leaders from across the U.S. asking the Secretary of Homeland Security to boost security.
"Tomorrow is going to be a particularly difficult day because they called for a day of protest on Friday the 13th," said security analyst Ed Davis. "If you're in areas where these protests are planned, try to stay away from them, give them a lot of distance just to be preventative. Don't be frightened but be cautious of your surroundings and always have a plan to get away," he said.
Massachusetts State Police said, "we are aware of no specific or credible threats" related to the attack on Israel.