Security Heightened At SoCal Synagogues Amid Deadly Shooting In Germany
LONG BEACH (CBSLA) — Police officers in Long Beach Wednesday made sure people in the Jewish community felt safe — and were safe — in the wake of the deadly attack in Germany.
Temple Israel in Long Beach had armed security guards watching the grounds during Yom Kippur as well as police vehicles outside the front entrance.
The Long Beach Police Department made it clear they were deploying extra patrols around religious institutions.
"Security is certainly something that is on all of our minds...To hear that police are stepping up and adding extra patrols is terrific. We're really grateful for that," said synagogue member Steve Gordon.
Another member of the synagogue said Temple Israel has responded to the events of the world and has been adding extra layers of protection for its congregants.
"We decided we needed to up our security situation so for the first time, probably in the history of the temple, we've got a small couple of folks, armed security people," said congregation member Don Fike.
A patrol unit was staged Wednesday afternoon at Temple Beth Shalom on Elm Avenue in Long Beach, as well as a mile away at the Soloman Alevy Lubavitch Center.
People at local Jewish houses of worship said they appreciate the extra care from law enforcement.
Long Beach police tweeted out a message saying, "As we wake up to the news of a deadly shooting near a synagogue in #Halle, Germany. We want to assure you that on #YomKippur and every day we support our Jewish community, in an abundance of caution #LBPD will deploy additional patrols around religious institutions today."
As we wake up to the news of a deadly shooting near a synagogue in #Halle, Germany. We want to assure you that on #YomKippur and everyday we support our Jewish community, in an abundance of caution #LBPD will deploy additional patrols around religious institutions today.
— Long Beach PD (CA) (@LBPD) October 9, 2019