New York Synagogue Attack: Monsey Jewish Community Aiming For High-Tech Security Makeover
MONSEY, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- Members of the Monsey Hasidic community met recently with private security experts to develop a new protection plan.
A mobile security command center sat outside the home of Rabbi Chaim Rottenberg on Thursday as the community readied for their first sabbath since the Chanukah stabbing of five men in an anti-Semitic hate attack.
The fact that many will come to pray on Friday night -- a large gathering and a potential target -- weighs heavy, but the community is resolute.
"We're not going to stay home. We're not going to change our lives," Hershy Gottdiener told CBS2's Marcia Kramer.
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What the community is looking to change is the security of the tight-knit religious enclave, and that's why Gottdiener and other representatives of the Monsey community met with members of security firm Brosnan Risk Consultants to discuss ways to make that happen.
Patrick Brosnan, the company's founder, is already donating $100,000 worth of free protection. However, he said it's not enough and he's looking to help make permanent changes -- things you can see and some you can't.
"If they see a target or rather a temple or shul or a synagogue that's wide open, multiple exits, no overt security presence, that's where they're going to go," Brosnan said.
Brosnan not only wants to help install security cameras that can be monitored in his massive command center, he wants to help the community install things like bulletproof glass and bulletproof wood.
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As son Patrick Jr.'s video showed off the command center with its high-tech ability to probe the internet, and hate chat rooms to detect threats, Brosnan admitted protecting the Jewish community of Monsey will not be cheap.
"I'd say it's significant. I'd say its going to take significant expenditure to both harden the targets and provide an ongoing sustained response," Brosnan said. "It's definitely in the millions."
Members of the community said they don't know where the money will come from. They are hoping state and federal officials will come through.
"Everybody's trying to get stuff done. The community wants to see action happen," Gottdiener said. "It's not a short-term solution. This is a long-term solution."
A spokesperson for Gov. Andrew Cuomo told Kramer he is actively working with Jewish leaders to find additional funds to protect the community. All options are on the table when it comes to standing up against hate and securing New Yorkers' safety, the spokesperson said.