FBI Warns of Threat to Synagogues in New Jersey - The New York Times

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is informing synagogues successful New Jersey of a wide information menace aft getting what it called “credible information” astir an accrued level of risk.

“We inquire astatine this clip that you instrumentality each information precautions to support your assemblage and facility,” the F.B.I.’s Newark bureau wrote connected Twitter connected Thursday afternoon.

“We volition stock much accusation arsenic soon arsenic we can. Stay alert. In lawsuit of exigency telephone police.”

The informing comes arsenic incidents of antisemitic bias and unit person been connected the emergence crossed the country.

Nationwide past year, determination were 525 known incidents of harassment, vandalism and battle astatine Jewish institutions, including synagogues, assemblage centers and schools — an summation of 61 percent from 2020, according to an audit by the Anti-Defamation League.

Several caller bias crimes person generated headlines crossed the world. In January, a British nationalist took 4 radical hostage astatine a synagogue successful suburban Fort Worth, Texas, for 11 hours, earlier being killed by the authorities. And successful 2018, a antheral equipped with an AR-15-style battle firearm and respective handguns showed up astatine Shabbat services astatine the Tree of Life synagogue successful Pittsburgh and killed 11 worshipers.

A spokeswoman for the F.B.I. successful Newark was not instantly disposable for further remark astir the quality of the menace successful New Jersey. But arsenic a effect of the warning, the New York Police Department instantly announced it had stepped up its monitoring to guarantee the information of “every country that encompasses our Jewish citizens and synagogues.”

Rabbi David Levy, manager of the American Jewish Committee’s New Jersey office, described the urgency of the F.B.I. informing arsenic rare.

“It is simply a reflection of rising antisemitism successful our state and however that antisemitism tin morph into violence,” Rabbi Levy said, adding, “Everybody is taking this seriously.”

Gov. Philip D. Murphy of New Jersey said the lawyer general’s bureau and the State Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness were “working with section instrumentality enforcement to guarantee that each houses of worship are protected.”

Jason M. Shames, main enforcement of the Jewish Federation of Northern New Jersey, said his enactment instantly activated its assemblage information informing system. Threats tied to idiosyncratic congregations were not uncommon, helium said, but it is “rather unusual” for the informing to travel straight from the F.B.I.

“Which seems to bespeak to maine that there’s thing precise unsocial astir this,” Mr. Shames said.

In Lakewood, N.J., location to a ample assemblage of Orthodox Jewish families, constabulary officers were asked to stay connected work for a 2nd shift. A ample synagogue successful the township, Albert Avenue Shul, notified residents it would stay locked done the time and until further announcement arsenic a effect of the warning.

Representatives of the Lakewood Police Department were participating successful a league telephone with the F.B.I. precocious Thursday afternoon, said Raymond G. Coles, the township’s mayor.

“We are looking into further resources should the concern warrant it,” Mr. Coles said.

Osniel Rozen, 29, of Lakewood, said helium would beryllium “extra careful,” but had nary plans to change his routines.

“I don’t think, though, that anyone volition beryllium shutting down their regular beingness due to the fact that of this tweet from the F.B.I., unless determination is immoderate much circumstantial information,” helium said.

In Bloomfield, N.J., Rabbi Marc Katz, of Temple Ner Tamid, said this latest menace lone added to a increasing consciousness of anxiousness among his congregation of 540 families.

Over the past respective years, the temple has added boulders retired beforehand arsenic blockades, layered a shatterproof movie connected its windows and replaced locks. A equipped defender is connected work each clip the schoolhouse oregon synagogue is successful use, and determination are cameras everywhere, helium said.

He said helium expected that children enrolled successful the synagogue’s preschool programme whitethorn beryllium kept from going extracurricular connected Friday. But agelong earlier the F.B.I. warning, helium said, a consciousness of heightened alert has been the rule, not the exception.

“We’re doing a batch close now, truthful immoderate changes that we’re making are going to beryllium precise minor,” helium said.

State Assemblyman Gary S. Schaer, who represents Passaic County and is considered a beardown state of Jewish causes, said helium could not callback a akin F.B.I. alert successful his 16 years successful the State House. The antithetic quality of the informing “is troublesome,” helium said.

Hurubie Meko contributed reporting.