Former NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly on Wednesday urged Jewish communities to be more alert and vigilant in protecting their neighborhoods amid a rise in anti-Semitic attacks.
“You cannot have an open environment at Jewish institutions at this point in history,” Kelly said during an interview with eLimmud FSU published Sunday.
“We have to be alert. I think the Jewish community has to be much more vigilant, much more aware, of who’s coming into their facilities. You need security, you need at the very least that double door approach you see in many synagogues in Europe,” he added.
Kelly, the longest-serving commissioner in the history of the NYPD, in February published a report on anti-Semitism in 11 European countries that labeled France as the most dangerous place to be a Jew in Europe.
The report also recommended more than a dozen steps that the French government and Jews living there could to do reduce the threat, including added security, volunteers, cameras and alarms and training for staff members at synagogues. He suggested U.S. facilities do the same.
“You also need partnerships – partnerships with the local police – you have to reach out and have them help in designing a plan,” Kelly said.
Anti-Semitic incidents surged in 2019 by 12 percent in the U.S., according to the Anti-Defamation League, which started tracking the instances four decades ago.
The ADL identified 2,107 anti-Semitic incidents during that year that included assault, harassment and vandalism.
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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