Police patrols heightened in Jewish communities ahead of holidays

Police patrols will be heightened in Jewish communities ahead of a set of important holidays in Judaism, police across the U.S. told The Hill on Wednesday.

“In light of the recent events in Israel and the Middle East, we are closely monitoring the situation and assessing any potential impacts on our local community,” Miguel Torres, a spokesperson for the Philadelphia Police Department, said in an email.

“Out of an abundance of caution, we have taken proactive measures, including increased patrols around local Jewish and Islamic places of worship and community centers, to ensure the safety of all community members.”

Tensions in the Middle East have heavily increased in recent weeks, with Iran on Tuesday launching a barrage of missiles at Israel. The attack came close to a year after Hamas’s initial attack on Israel on Oct. 7 last year. Israel had also just started raids into southern Lebanon aimed at the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, which is supported by Iran.

More than 41,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Israel-Hamas war, and nearly 100 Israeli hostages remain in Gaza after being taken during the Oct. 7 attack.

Cara Cruz, a public information officer with Pittsburgh’s Department of Public Safety, said in an email to The Hill on Wednesday that the city’s Bureau of Police is going to “have an increased presence with directed patrols around synagogues as the community moves into the high holidays.”

A spokesperson for the Chicago Police Department said in an email to The Hill on Wednesday that it “will have a special attention on places of worship.”

“As always, we are monitoring all activity and while there is no actionable intelligence at this time, we will have an increased police presence to ensure the city’s faith communities are not only safe, but feel safe,” spokesperson Peggy Benz said in the email.

In Washington, D.C., a Metropolitan Police Department spokesperson told The Hill that “there are no known threats to the District of Columbia,” but also that “we urge our community to remain vigilant and help keep our community safe.”

The Beverly Hills Police Department in California said in a post Wednesday on the social platform X that it is “closely monitoring world events and, as a precautionary measure, has increased patrols and partnered with private security to ensure the continued safety of our community around synagogues and houses of worship during Rosh Hashanah and the High Holy Days.”