Dear Friends,
We stand in loving solidarity with the members and guests of Central Synagogue in New York, where Shabbat worship was disrupted Friday night by an antisemitic attack. We are grateful that no one was seriously injured, that the assailant has been arrested, and that there are no known ongoing threats to Central Synagogue.
We know that news of any attack on a synagogue or house of worship can be deeply unsettling. At Temple Beth El, the safety and security of our community is a responsibility we take with great seriousness, even as we remain committed to being a warm, welcoming, and open Jewish community.
Our approach to security has been developed carefully and collaboratively. We work closely with our partners across Shalom Park to assess concerns, share information, coordinate our response, and strengthen the safety of everyone who enters our campus. We have also retained a private security consultant who has helped Temple Beth El develop our comprehensive security plan within that broader Shalom Park framework and has trained our clergy and staff in how to respond to a wide range of emergency situations. We continue to work with our advisors and the Shalom Park security team to review and strengthen our procedures as circumstances and best practices evolve.
That preparation matters. Our clergy and staff have practiced how to respond in an emergency, understand their responsibilities, and work together when circumstances require quick action. We are deeply grateful for the professionals who have helped us prepare and for those who work every day to keep Shalom Park safe.
Events like the one at Central Synagogue also remind us of something equally important: we cannot allow fear to define Jewish life.
After the disruption Friday evening, the congregation at Central Synagogue regathered and continued to sing and pray together. There is something powerful in that response. Security helps create the conditions in which Jewish life can flourish. Our answer to antisemitism is also to keep gathering, learning, praying, celebrating, caring for one another, and living our Judaism fully and proudly.
We will continue to evaluate our security measures in coordination with our Shalom Park partners and security professionals, and we will communicate with our community when there is information you need to know.
May the week ahead bring greater peace and wholeness to our community and to our world.
L’shalom,
Rabbi Asher Knight, Senior Rabbi
Jonathan Friedman, Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer
A-J Secrist, Temple President
